AWITA X JW ANDERSON

Maya Sanbar

Curated by Virginia Damtsa

28th April - 10th May "| Install Photography

Maya Sanbar is a multi-disciplinary award-winning artist, curator and film maker with a practice centered on storytelling. British French Lebanese of Palestinian descent, her mixed background has enabled her to appreciate the diverse human experience. Fluent in several languages, her work seeks to impact positive global change and capture the power of art activism as a vehicle to inspire empathy, cross-cultural introspection, socio-political and environmental consciousness. To date, she has created site-specific immersive installations at key landmarks, including the Berlin Wall in Germany (2019) and the Coronet Theatre in London (2020).

In this specific series titled CONDUITIONS, Sanbar explores portraits of people, emotions, and energy dynamics. The sculptures are made partly with found objects that conjure the eternal life cycle and our relationships with one another. Each sculpture is a body in this series, distinct in size, shape, and form, just like all of us are inherently unique. The draping and creases of the papier-mâché emulate folds of clothing and highlight the form, similar to the way clothing should enhance, not simply conceal the body.

On display is also THE PUDDLE, a 10-minute film that observes social behaviour in an underpass in the bustling city of London. This social experiment speaks to the ways in which humans respond to inconveniences, assess pros and cons, and their thought processes when faced with conflict.

VirginiaVisualArts is the offspring of Virginia Damtsa, an art dealer, curator, and artists agent who has been in the art industry for two decades. She now runs pop up exhibitions, mentors and guides artists through their practice, and curates exhibitions with emerging to established international artists and fellow galleries.