In "Contact (Desires)," the artists use a grayscale palette with a focus on text as the central element, composed with subtle textures that hint at layering techniques. The phrase "MY DESIRES ARE GOD'S PROMISES" is prominently displayed, creating a reflective and provocative dialogue. This contemporary sculpture, through its minimalistic and conceptual style, employs scanned and layered processes to transform digital images into tangible objects. Majid and Newby's work engages viewers in prolonged contemplation, exploring the transition of fleeting digital visuals into enduring physical forms. ...
The collaborative practice of Laila Majid and Louis Blue Newby examines how images gain meaning as they circulate between private and public spaces. Drawing from fast-moving sources like magazines, online forums, and digital platforms, they slow these images down through processes of scanning, drawing, layering, and material transformation.
Their work foregrounds mediation - turning fleeting visuals into tactile, time-intensive objects. Materials such as resin, film, or graphite hand-drawing shift the image from the digital realm into something embodied. Their shared process, based on ongoing exchange, both dissolves individual authorship and affirms connection.
By extending the life of images, their practice invites viewers to look longer and more actively, transforming passive recognition into personal reflection - sometimes unsettling, sometimes intimate. ...
Niru Ratnam Gallery is a London-based contemporary art gallery founded in 2020. The gallery represents a diverse group of established, mid-career, and emerging artists whose practices often challenge dominant narratives around ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class. Working across painting, sculpture, film, installation, and photography, many of the artists move fluidly between mediums. The program frequently highlights underrepresented voices and foregrounds conceptually driven work. The gallery’s approach is shaped by founder Niru Ratnam’s background as an academic and writer. ...
