Art Central: Nadim Abbas plays with space and meditation
The son of a respected academic, Abbas’ installations are complex and ambiguous in ways that challenge visitors to rethink their relationship to physical space
The former Royal Air Force Officers’ Mess is a quaint 20th-century colonial structure with subtle but distinctive features: a faded laurel green roof, pale blue shutters and doors, towering old trees, steep stone staircases and a grassy courtyard-like space. Nestled in the hills off Kwun Tong Road, the building is home to Baptist University’s Academy of Visual Arts, where the high-ceilinged, spacious rooms lend themselves to learning about and creating art. It’s also where local artist Nadim Abbas is completing his PhD, and the location of his studio.
Abbas’ studio is stark white – a blank canvas. White walls, taped-down white tarp covering the floor, transparent containers stacked under a white table in one corner. A few exceptions add traces of colour: cardboard boxes, a wooden table with wooden stools, the odd stack of books, a laptop and a compact drum kit (to help him “blow off steam”), all relegated to the sides and corners of the room.
Abbas begins pulling out materials stored in and around the space while attempting to configure a composition in the middle of the floor, for his shoot. Brushes, wooden tools, styrofoam, household sponges, funnels, vinyl stress-ball-esque toys, a large blue and yellow container that evokes Ikea branding, and even rolls of toilet paper are among the many items Abbas uses in his artworks. “No matter what you’re doing, you’re always making an aesthetic decision,” he says.
