Scratches on paper

Overview

Mohammed Kazem’s practice is characterised by the use of reductive elements in repeating formats. Works presented in SB12 give insight into some of the ideas and techniques that have underpinned his work since the 1990s, namely his scratching technique. Using a pair of scissors, Kazem scratches into textured paper to create Braille-like marks that suggest a delicate poetics of form. Kazem’s scratches are a visualisation of a composition, not in the sense of a musical score but rather as a fundamental and intuitive form of expression. Part of an ongoing body of work, Scratches on Paper (2011–14) demonstrates this technique to render sound and light in a deeply subjective way – a personal chronicle writ in bumps and depressions and left subject to the viewer’s contemplation.

This project was part of Sharjah Biennial 12