Saudi-born artist Shadi Al-Atallah has been steadily gaining attention, with their inclusion in the group show “Unruly Bodies” at CCA Goldsmiths earlier this year and current participation in “Dreaming of Home”atthe Leslie Lohman Museum in New York. Their painting show “Fistfight” mostly presents pairs of figures locked in combat, contorted in gravity-defying positions, their bodies seeming to melt into undistinguishable, gender-ambiguous knots of limbs, breasts, and genitalia at points. The press release cites the Epic of Gilgamesh and other monumental fights from literature and mythology as the inspiration behind the series of paintings. Although the white chalked faces wear often grimacing, Bacon-esque expressions above writhing, hurling bodies, there is a strong erotic charge running through these scenes, complicating the initial impression of violence.
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Elizabeth Fullerton, ARTnews, 9 Oct 2023
