Fitzrovia’s luxury hotel, The Mandrake (www.themandrake.com) has partnered with Nadia Waheed (www.nadiawaheed.com), represented by Gallery 1957, who will take centre stage for the latest instalment of its Artist in Residence series. The most recent is a celebration of Frieze, one of London’s hottest annual art events.
The Mandrake is Fitzrovia’s finest five-star boutique hotel, offering 33 luxurious rooms and suites and an award-winning Penthouse. Founded and owned by entrepreneur and art collector Rami Fustok, the centrally located boutique hotel is recognised for its exquisite and striking art, culture and design, based on an ‘ever evolving’ concept to offer a welcoming hub to a varied curation of artists, performers, exhibitions and events.
Residency
Between 4th – 11th October, Nadia will take up residency in The Mandrake’s Greenhouse to produce a collection of 10 oil paintings, one of which will be gifted to the hotel and presented in its halls. The oil painting collection will also be displayed in The Mandrake’s YOPO Bar for five days across the course of Frieze London Art Fair. Each artwork is a self-portrait representing a moment in time in her life from summer until the end of the residency, showcasing the personal journey she has embarked on during the Artist In Residence feature.
Saudi born Pakistani-American painter Nadia Waheed (b.1992, BFA 2015 School of the Art Institute of Chicago), creates allegorical figurative paintings that explore selfhood, choice, rebirth, and redemption. Lately influenced by ideas surrounding the hero’s journey, drawing from lived experience and the vast archives of art history, recently her work has included esoteric imagery from ancient traditions around the world.
Exhibition history includes shows with Jeffrey Deitch, Nicodim NY, Alexander Berggruen, The Green Family Foundation and Galley 1957 London. Upcoming exhibitions include a solo presentation of work at Nicodim LA in September 2023 and group presentation at Frieze Seoul 2023 with Gallery 1957.
On the exhibition, Waheed quotes: “I relate to my own growth the way a bonsaist cultivates a bonsai. My choices are extremely deliberate, I cut very mindfully, considering everything through how it would affect my painting practice; does this help me grow, does this limit me, does this empower me?” She describes herself portraits as “narrow windows into reconciling myself and my humanity, mortality, and place in the larger order of my material world.”
Takeover
The artist’s stint at The Mandrake also coincides with Anticlone Gallery’s (www.anticlonegallery.com) week-long takeover at the hotel. Gallery owner and founder Sade English has enlisted Maria Abramenko as guest curator, who specialises in installations, digital and sound art, and compiles a varied programme consisting of a group exhibition, commissions, performances, talks and artist residencies.
The Mandrake’s Masha Hari Theatre will house the takeover, which will centre around one daily performance piece; a unique offering from the usual style of works exhibited at Frieze. The likes of Alban Adam, Parma Ham, and Othello De’Souza Hartley will adopt the hotel’s space for their craft, which will be free to visit and open to curious novices and seasoned art professionals alike.
The Mandrake’s Creative Director Maguelone Marcenac and Artscope’s Founder Kate Fensterstock have teamed up to provide the unique programming during Frieze Week, also consisting of lecture sessions, guided tours and Q&As with artists and curators. The Mandrake will provide a hub for these immersive experiences that reinforce the significance and impact of great art, and how The Mandrake is key to accessing such resources on site – in London and throughout the world.
The Mandrake as a space establishes and nurtures an ecosystem for enthusiasm during a period as crucial to the art world as Frieze Week – appreciation and celebration of art is something which sits at the very core of The Mandrake’s ethos.
Nadia Waheed’s artwork will reside at The Mandrake between the 4th – 16th October – no pre-booking is required.
https://www.themandrake.com/artist-in-residence
The Mandrake
20-21 Newman Street
London
W1T 1PG
I: @themandrakehotel / @yopo.london
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