Idris Khan’s works – which draw on a wide range of sources, from literature and philosophy to theology and music – often overlay multiple texts or images as they investigate the relationship between memory and mark-making. Written language is central to Khan’s painting, sculpture, and photography – from his stamp paintings, with their abstract forms built up from densely printed words and phrases, to the vast inscribed tablets that constitute his monument for the UAE Memorial Park, inaugurated in 2016. Khan may be in demand for international projects, but this year he has also enjoyed a homecoming, with a major survey exhibition at the New Art Gallery, Walsall – the town in which he grew up.
Absorbing Light, a solo exhibition of new work by Idris Khan opens at Victoria Miro, Wharf Road on 3 October 2017. Comprising a monumental sculpture, a multi-part installation, paintings of geometric and stripe formations, and works on paper, Absorbing Light is the most comprehensive exhibition by the artist in London in four years. It marks an important departure for Khan, who will show works in bronze for the first time along with an entirely abstract painting.⠀
Photography: Robert Glowacki
