A Past Life That Exists For Nostalgia, 2017-Present
Toronto based artist Ibrahim Abusitta paints inviting yet eerie group portraits of fun gatherings and social spaces in his series "A Past Life that Exists for Nostalgia"
Each painting is filled with an ominous wash of colour, a rust orange, neon fuchsia, and muted burgundy, tinting the scenes with an emotional backdrop. They capture a cinematic moment, a movie still that has been eroded with time with details that have faded away. The texture of the wood-grain surface comes through the pigment, and details have been scratched into the façade with a desperation for familiarity. The faces of his figures remain anonymous, lacking in specificity and because of this, they feel untied to reality. Their existence is warped through the painter's lens, like a lost connection or a distorted memory.
This body of work by Ibrahim Abusitta is saturated with a deep longing for people and places unknown. When considering these paintings, we are overwhelmed with a desire to visit the past and reshape our own memories and experiences.
Text by The Gathered Gallery [ Emily Pittman and Natalie Field ]
Something to Contemplate
Acrylic on wood panel
9 x 12 x 1.5 in
2019
Private Collection
Something to Contemplate II
Acrylic on wood panel
9 x 12 x 1.5 in
2019
Private Collection
Something to Contemplate III
Acrylic on wood panel
16 x 20 x 1.5 in
2019
Thirsty
Acrylic on wood panel
16 x 20 x 1.5 in
2019
Happy Go Lucky
Acrylic on wood panel
24 x 30 x 1.5 in
2019
The Dancers (revisited)
Acrylic on wood panel
30 x 24 x 1.5 in
2019
A Night To Remember
Acrylic on wood panel
12 x 16 x 1.5 in
2018
Private Collection
Never Letting Go
Acrylic on wood panel
16 x 12 x 1.5 in
2018
Private Collection
Dancing Couple
Acrylic on paper
8 x 11 in
2019
Private Collection
The Dancers II
Acrylic on paper
11 x 8 in
2019
Private Collection
The Players
Acrylic on wood panel
16 x 20 x 1.5 in
2018
The Players II
Acrylic on wood panel
16 x 20 x 1.5 in
2018
Private Collection
The Players III
Acrylic on wood panel
16 x 20 x 1.5 in
2018
The Players IV
Acrylic on wood panel
16 x 20 x 1.5 in
2018
Private Collection
The Players V
Acrylic on wood panel
9 x 12 x 1.5 in
2019
The Players VI
Marker on paper
8 x 11 in
2019
The Players VII
Acrylic on wood panel
16 x 20 x 1.5 in
2019
Card Players I
Acrylic on paper
8 x 11 in
2018
Private Collection
Card Players II
Acrylic on paper
8 x 11 in
2019
Private Collection
The Card Players III
Acrylic on paper
8 x 11 in
2019
Private Collection
The Gathering
Acrylic on paper
11 x 14 in
2018
Private Collection
The Big Bash
Marker on paper
8 x 11 in
2019
Private Collection
The Old Man and the Bar
Acrylic on wood panel
16 x 20 x 1.5 in
2018
The Luncheon
Acrylic on wood panel
16 x 20 x 1.5 in
2018
Midnight Champagne
Acrylic on wood panel
16 x 20 x 1.5 in
2018
Private Collection
The Ritual
Acrylic on paper
11 x 8 in
2018
Private Collection
Ladies Night
Acrylic on wood panel
12 x 16 x 1.5 in
2018
Ladies Night II
Acrylic on paper
11 x 8 in
2019
Private Collection
Closing Time
Acrylic on wood panel
12 x 16 x 1.5 in
2018
Remember When
Acrylic on wood panel
12 x 16 x 1.5 in
2018
The Good Ol’ Days
Acrylic on wood panel
12 x 16 x 1.5 in
2018
Late Nights
Acrylic on wood panel
12 x 16 x 1.5 in
2018
Private Collection
GG and the Gals
Acrylic on wood panel
12 x 9 x 1.5 in
2017
Private Collection