Nadia Barkate

The work of Nadia Barkate is characterised by its spontaneity and immediacy, one that points to the realm of the quotidian and tackles issues around identity, the body and desire. Barkate works expansively, voraciously at times, specially when it comes to large format artworks where the artist composes evoking scenes that skilfully postpone any form of direct reading or narrative. Her work usually combines a varied number of motifs that range from those reminiscing of classic Antiquity, to self-portraits, natural elements and personal graphisms, all of which resulting in scenes close to the realm of daydream. Within this visual whirlwind we find however with a paused artistic practice filled with nuances by which the artist makes us accomplices of her imagining. The techniques of airbrushing and watercolour allow her to work quite at a fast pace, thing that reinforces the associative nature of her creative process. The repetition of certain compositional elements such as the fly man or her own hands point to an obsessive practice through which she tries to exhaust the possibilities of such motifs.