Finally, the time for the big reveal has come! After a five-week residency at The Hari, London, it is time to unveil Emmanuel Unaji and Matilde Merli's exhibition in the The Hari Bar, from 24 June to 1 November 2021. This newsletter is dedicated to Emmanuel and Matilde and celebrates their work. Do pop along to The Hari to view Matilde and Emmanuel’s artworks, and while you're there, why not enjoy a drink at the bar or cocktail on the terrace? |
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ArtULTRA RESIDENCY AT THE HARI |
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A voyage into Emmanuel Unaji’s Multiverse Emmanuel is a polymath. With a background in modelling, a fashion line and an art degree under his belt, he is not afraid to try new ideas and break new ground. Emmanuel makes artworks as pieces in their own right, but they also embellish his garments’ sleeves, backs and pockets. It’s exciting to witness an artist emerging on the scene who is unconstrained by the usual categorisations between ‘fine’ art and ‘fashion’. Instead, Emmanuel sees his career as a wide spectrum, spanning both fine and commercial artforms. Andy Warhol, an artist who inspires and intrigues Emmanuel, famously quipped that “good business is the best art.” For Emmanuel personally, “there is no dividing line,” he explains, “there is your identity, your mission, vision and values, as an artist and equally as a brand.” As a 10-year-old visiting the Sistine Chapel, all the way through to studying at art school, Emmanuel has contemplated the Western canon and questioned his place within it. Today, he thinks of his visits to museums and exhibitions as encounters, in which he enjoys the exchange of ideas, knowing where he comes from and observing how he fits in. Emmanuel has carved out his own space straddling fashion, luxury, street and fine art, where he enjoys deconstructing the images and identities that the media offer up to us. Taking as his subjects fashion models, cultural or political icons, Emmanuel explores the distance between perception and reality. His collages remind us both of Instagram selfies and fine-art portraits at the same time, making us question our own modes of image consumption. What is the subject’s truth? How do we relate to them? Emmanuel is interested in engaging the viewer in a conversation, and in exploring what lies beneath the images that we consume. Emmanuel describes the residency as having been a great opportunity to dedicate more time to his artistic practice. “It’s like being in your own Wonderland, projected into your own world of creativity and given time to explore new ideas,” he explains. Emmanuel hopes to use the residency to make a shift in his career. |
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River Deep in Matilde Merli’s inner world When you look at Matilde’s artwork you are confronted by raw emotion. There is an ebullience in her work, conjuring up the image of a river with strong currents running below the surface. Working on 4 or 5 pieces simultaneously, impatient to capture the energy and images that run through her mind, Matilde constructs her work layer upon layer of paint, glue and textiles. The results are a set of intense 3D canvases that leave a strong imprint on the viewer’s mind. Softly spoken and unassuming when you meet her, Matilde communicates incredible strength and intensity through her work. “My process reflects my personality; I never finish one thing, I’m impatient for the next thing, I act on impulse,” she explains. “I imagine things quickly, I also forget quickly, so I have to capture these fleeting images rapidly and release them on the canvas.” Matilde has used the residency at The Hari as a period of reflection and exploration, journeying through the past few months to give them artistic expression. The residency was a cathartic release for Matilde; as she acknowledges “creating an artwork is my way to open up and talk.” Working with acrylics, as well as found objects ranging from red bull cans to lentils, a dress, candles or fallen branches, her artworks grab your attention and demand a response. Matilde describes the process of releasing her artwork as liberating and scary at the same time. Letting the public glimpse into her mind, relinquishing all control over what they will think and how they will interpret her work is a significant step for Matilde. “Coming inside the hotel I feel I stand out, but this is me,” says Matilde, gesturing to her artworks on display, “I have to be honest with what I create, or I will never know what the rest of the world thinks of it.” Will viewers understand her message? How will it land? The exhibition at The Hari is a crucial moment to open up and let the viewers in. |
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BEHIND THE SCENES: INSTALLING THE EXHIBITION |
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Installation photos: Top: Looking for Love by Matilde Merli in the window Bottom: Asap Rocky,Rakim Mayers and Lancey Foux Wears a Cold Wall in the staircase |
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And as always, don’t forget to check out the ArtULTRA’s opportunity database every so often as wee regularly upload opportunities there. The unmissable ones are on the website’s homepage. |
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