38 | London, UK
Idris Khan’s works – which draw on a wide range of sources, from literature and philosophy to theology and music – often overlay multiple texts or images as they investigate the relationship between memory and mark-making. Written language is central to Khan’s painting, sculpture, and photography – from his stamp paintings, with their abstract forms built up from densely printed words and phrases, to the vast inscribed tablets that constitute his monument for the UAE Memorial Park, inaugurated in 2016. Khan may be in demand for international projects, but this year he has also enjoyed a homecoming, with a major survey exhibition at the New Art Gallery, Walsall – the town in which he grew up.
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