Statement:

Daa Art Gallery is delighted to present their next show ‘Can You See Me?’ held at 67 York Street, Marylebone, W1H 1QA, on from the 3rd till the 13th of July.

The exhibition showcases new works by artists Iris Garagnoux (France), Naila Hazell (Azerbaijan), Mona JanMohamadi (Iran), Aoibhin Maguire (Ireland) and Manon Steyaert (France/UK).///

The exhibition, curated by Vittoria Beltrame, plays with ideas of transparency and intimacy reflected in the pieces through materiality and semi-autobiographical work.

The show highlights sight as one of the five senses, while also underlining the imagery of the eye often linked to spirituality and higher power (e.g. third eye) and how through it one perceives and understands the world and one's place in it.

The exhibition wants to highlight the idea of transcendentalism, and how one experiences materiality through human form - with the understanding that art has the power to translate certain ideas and introspection into objects perceivable by the eye, then strongly felt within one.

This phenomenology can be linked to Maurice Merleau-Ponty's exploration of the body's role in perception, which he explores in ‘Phenomenology of Perception’ (1945).

In his writing, Merleau-Ponty emphasises the embodied nature of perception, suggesting that our experience of the world is not separate from our bodily existence but deeply intertwined with it.

The show, in fact, does not limit the viewer to simply ‘see’ the artwork, while sound plays in the background and videos are included, the viewer shall navigate the space reminded of their presence in it, while circling around objects in the gallery.

Furthermore, the title plays an important role on the idea of self-expression and being understood, whether through painting, photography, or performance - art is a ritualistic form of communicating what words often cannot.

Whether through a play with bodily aspects and transparency (Garagnoux), materiality (Steyaert), thick layers of paint and interpretation of tales and memories (Maguire), neon colours and portraiture (Hazell) or photography (JanMohamadi),

the exhibiting artists translate their identity directly onto the chosen medium and the artwork is therefore a full reflection of themselves and their souls.