
Diptych, Rare projection (Old fashioned shit)
2013
A luminous, unsettling theatricality defines this 2013 diptych by Tala Madani, in which projected light becomes both subject and instrument of dark comedy. Rendered in oil on canvas with the artist's characteristically loose, almost cartoonish figuration, the paired works stage anonymous male figures caught in ritualistic, absurd scenarios where beams of light function as agents of transformation, exposure, or humiliation. The palette is simultaneously warm and queasy, with radiant yellows and fleshy pinks pressing against shadowy grounds, creating a visual tension that mirrors the psychological unease embedded in the imagery. Madani's brushwork is confident and economical, distilling complex psychosocial dynamics into gestures that feel both immediate and deeply considered. The diptych format amplifies the work's conceptual richness, inviting the viewer to read across the two panels and locate meaning in their relationship, their contrast, or their uncanny rhyme. The sardonic subtitle "Old fashioned shit" signals Madani's characteristic irreverence toward inherited social hierarchies and masculine ritual, themes that have consistently anchored her practice. Working at the intersection of painting, performance, and political satire, she uses the projection motif as a metaphor for systems of power and spectacle, implicating both the figures within the work and the viewer standing before it. Exhibited in the context of the Future Generation Art Prize, this diptych represents the artist at a pivotal moment of international critical recognition. For collectors, this work offers a rare opportunity to acquire a significant early painting from one of the most intellectually rigorous and formally inventive painters working today. Madani's canvases are held in major institutional collections worldwide, and her market standing has grown substantially since this work's creation, lending it both cultural weight and long-term collection importance. The signed work is presented unframed, allowing for considered presentation decisions that honor its theatrical, light-saturated sensibility.
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Signed
- Yes
- Spotted At
- Gallery · Future Generation Art Prize
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