A Modest Show: ‘Intersections’ / Triple Decker at Paradise Works

Harpreet Kaur

Writer and arts consultant Harpreet Kaur spoke to three artists to find out more about their concurrent themes of identity, sense of self and of diaspora and connection to home, in the exhibition ‘Intersections’, curated by Will Marshall. Part of Triple Decker, a programme of events and exhibitions presented by Paradise Works as part of A Modest Show, collateral artist-led programme to British Art Show 9, ‘Intersections’ runs until 2 July 2022. Harpreet Kaur’s review takes in a sensuous array of spices as pigment and immersive scent, cultural and socio-economic exchange, and the secret impressions on paper of ‘The Twilight Language’.

The ‘Intersections’ exhibition is a part of a programme of shows and events, Triple Decker, taking place at Paradise Works, a three-storey artist led studio space and contemporary art gallery in Salford. Triple Decker is in turn a part of A Modest Show, the collateral programme to British Art Show 9. It is my first visit to this space, so I am intrigued about the venue as well as the work on display. A member of staff lets me into the building and I walk up some steps to the first floor.

It’s a moderately damp and overcast day. The gallery by contrast has a warm and gentle ambience, friendly and inviting. The pink walls, along with my friendly host, create an inviting mood. I try to imagine the space a few nights ago when the exhibition opened, and how I may have perceived it amongst other bodies, chatter, a glass of wine in hand. On this day I am alone, and I have the entire floor to myself. Occasionally I hear an artist from one of the studios shuffling by in the background.

Will Marshall, the curator of the exhibition, has designed the show on the theme of coming together and sense of self. He didn’t want the artists to meet for the first time on opening night, so once they were selected, he took them all out to dinner so that they could connect and get to know each other’s work. The nine featured artists make work, although not exclusively, about themes of identity and were selected on this basis. The budget for this project didn’t include commissioning new work, so not everything displayed was specifically for this project, but some artists chose to create new work anyway. I have focussed on the three artists that I connected with most during this visit, with whom I later connected individually, to learn more about their practice.

At Paradise Works, the first piece to catch my eye is Everything is Fine! (2021) by Omid Asadi. Positioned on the floor is a Persian rug with two black identical robot vacuum cleaners buzzing around it. It’s active, audible and draws attention instantly. Asadi explores contrast in his art, bringing opposing materials together, alongside exploring paradoxical ideologies and identities. The rug symbolises cultural identity and the vacuums represent technology. How do these themes impact one another? The exploratory piece was influenced by ideas evoked by a quote: "our lives become easier every day (because of the technology) but more empty and meaningless too" (source unknown).

I am drawn to another Asadi piece, Send me some Saffron (2022), a canvas painted using saffron as a pigment. Its bold and rich texture pulls me closer simply because I am wearing a cardigan that is almost identical in colour. It is warm and inviting. It makes me feel happy and youthful. It is displayed at the perfect height for me to stand up close to it and compare yellow tones. Delightful. Asadi has used saffron as a metaphor relating to the economy in Iran that is affected by the Iranian regime, as well as sanctions from the US and the West. Because of this the use of saffron that ordinarily would be included in all manner of dishes is decreasing.

Asadi is also illustrating his identity and that of people who live outside of Iran. One of the most valuable items for the Iranian diaspora is saffron, and this spice helps to connect each Iranian to their homeland, evoking pleasant memories through its taste, smell and colour. Whilst this is not obvious to me when taking a first look at the canvas, on reflection it reminds me of the rich colour and texture of turmeric that similarly connects with my Indian heritage, and I can begin to relate to the meanings of this work and what this implies for my own identity.

One of the first pieces you see when walking towards the collection is By My Side (2022) by Linnet Panashe Rubaya. From afar are two identical black bodies with red hair, royal blue costume and a pink background. My interpretation is two confident contemporary black women, but on closer examination you see their individuality and differences, in their size and facial features. Are they happy, sad, independent, oppressed?

Rubaya is exploring her own identity in this piece, how she navigates the world, and this starts with her blackness. She is interested in ideas around race and intersections, having grown up in London with Black people of differing cultures and socio-economic classes. Rubaya goes further to acknowledge the common joyful and difficult experiences faced by her friends of other races, Black and Asian women and the experience of being othered in Britain. Rubaya explains:

Our shared blackness means that our understanding of situations often transcends our differing cultures and classes to create a new community of sisterhood, where we support, challenge and lead each other in ways that defy the individualist, capitalist, colonial and white supremacist world we have found ourselves in…The idea that Black people and even Black women are not a monolith will continue to be a thread that connects my work.

Rubaya’s perspective strongly relates to my own, and something that I think we continue to grapple with as non-White women in Britain. Understanding ourselves and how we relate to those around us, whilst we evolve and change throughout life.

Moving further into the exhibition I am met by the aroma of sweet warm spices, a familiar blend. I approach Chai (2022) and smile. A white diffuser releases the smell of sweet Indian tea. Of course, this instantly connects with my identity, family and experience as someone with South Asian heritage. Of all the pieces this is perhaps the one that I connected with the most whilst at the gallery. Deshna Shah has included this to represent her time talking to women over cups of chai about rape and sexual assault. Topics that are rarely openly discussed in the South Asian community, or amongst communities in general.

Shah’s practice explores her heritage as a neurodivergent South Asian woman, as well as the residual impacts of relocation, judgement and the unspoken. She explores taboo topics to build bridges through communication. Through her work she offers a method of healing through participation and visual imagery. The work on display is one part of a bigger story and experience, not only for the artist but for every audience member, and for myself writing this review. Shah’s exploration of different mediums, from installation, smell, dance and critical theory, come through as very authentic to her nature and identity.

There are also a couple of works on paper where she has used woodblock printing to show some letters from her ‘Katha’ series of work (2021). The letters are from ‘The Twilight Language’ that she has created incorporating elements of Gujarati, Hindi and English to again voice unsaid questions and taboos. Shah has used Fabriano paper that is a thick, good quality paper and appropriate for the woodblock method to ensure the pressed letters were embossed into the paper to create depth. The spiral formation of letters is neat and mesmerising. A very thoughtful and carefully crafted piece.

My experience of seeing, reflecting on and writing about Intersections has been a journey of self-exploration. It has triggered my memory, identity, and my very own personal trauma and existence, in a very gentle and healing way. I wiped away tears. I made chai. I connected with the creators and they helped me along the process.

As I mentioned earlier, the exhibition is about coming together and sense of self. In my practice as a writer and reviewer I do not hurry the process of appreciating the work I have seen quickly onto paper. I organically gave myself enough time and space for processing the narratives and how they impacted my senses, and in that way weaved myself into the web of Intersections, coming together with the artists.

A poignant and empowering exhibition.