My Week in the Art World – Reflective Fragments

By Giulia Trojano

Prior to Spiegelgasse, I had been walking around Fitzrovia, eagerly awaiting the opening of Allyson Strafella’s new show, her first in the UK, at Bartha Contemporary. It was around 5pm and the door to the gallery was open, with the artist herself finalising the installation. I asked if I could take a look, conscious that the viewing was not scheduled for another hour, but was welcomed in. If the works at Hauser were imposing and in many ways controlled or were geared to manipulate our perception of them, the beautifully delicate paper compositions presented on the gallery’s white wall were for us to absorb freely.

Two decades worth of works is presented in field, and Strafella’s minimalist drawings – emerging from the densely populated wall – truly moved me. Whilst her use of bright colours and her ability to pair hues on its own is a testament to her artistry, the delicate nature of the handmade paper sheets is what makes these incredibly powerful pieces.

In imprinting repetitive marks on each of the extremely frail sheets, Strafella creates abstract forms that retain the familiarity and assimilability of language.

The artist uses typewriters as her drawing tools – allowing them to imbue the sheets with the desire to communicate albeit in a way that does not require any formal rules or linguistic constructs, one that can permeate our core.

I focused greatly on the pierced surfaces, observing the fractures where the wall was visible, changes in the paper’s density, the broken strands, delicately handing within the composition. I felt incredibly fortunate to have seen the show with such bright natural light and quiet around me and upon leaving I felt immediately compelled to write in my journal, as Strafella’s field soaks through us, allowing our most intimate thoughts to surface.

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