Artist's Room:
Augustine Paredes
Curated by Dawn Ross
Jameel Arts Centre
Dubai, UAE
2024
Installation views of Artist’s Room: Augustine Paredes at Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai, UAE. 2024.
Curatorial Text
by Dawn Ross
Augustine Paredes’ artist’s room his relationship to identity and family. Focusing on his personal journey as a migrant – constantly navigating between time, places and identities – the works delve into the complexities of his own experiences and the enduring effects of colonialism.
Augustine’s practice has primarily centred on photography. Gradually moving away from the camera as a main source of image-making, he has embraced a more process-based approach that focuses on the inherent qualities and agency of materials used within his work. This shift has led him to reconnect with his own history and memories, while confronting the challenges and violence he’s endured as a migrant.
One central work in the exhibition, Mother—a portrait of Marife, Augustine’s mother—is an important figure in his life that embodies his connection to home and sense of belonging. Other works present traces of burns, verses of poems, paintings, ink stains, fibres, pearls and wool threads. Together, these works explore the artist’s reflections on guilt, desire and devotion.
Exhibited Works