Chasing Mirrors

tallo #1 (detail)
by Faisal Abdu’Allah and the Chasing Mirrors Collective
© National Portrait Gallery, London and the Chasing Mirrors Collective

Chasing Mirrors is an exhibition of new work exploring alternative forms of self-representation and portraiture by contemporary artist Faisal Abdu’Allah and the Chasing Mirrors Collective, a group of young people from Arabic speaking communities in Brent, Barnet and Ealing.

In response to the National Portrait Gallery’s Collection, the artists have created reflections of their own identity. Avoiding conventional portraiture, the finished works express differences and similarities between members of the Collective and the viewer in multi-dimensional portraits. Images on display combine features of the members of the three groups who make up the Collective. Each group converges into their own portrait to create a new collective identity - forming a fictitious sitter.

Chasing Mirrors is the first of a three-year project for the Gallery funded by John Lyon’s Charity. Each year a new lead artist will collaborate with participants on a series of workshops culminating in an exhibition at the Gallery. The project will vary according to the artist’s practice, medium and their perspective and response to the Gallery’s Collection, which they will explore with the participants.

Interview with Faisal Events