Carbon 12: The Errantries of Sarah Almehairi and Bernhard Buhmannn
Sarah Almehairi and Bernhard Buhmann exhibit captivating, abstract artworks at the Carbon 12 gallery on Alserkal Avenue from September 18 to November 9, 2024.
The latest paintings by Sarah Almehairi and Bernhard Buhmann reveal deep transformations. With unexpected protrusions and punctures, the artists advance their narratives, embodying what philosopher Édouard Glissant terms “a poetics of errantry”—a mix of adventurous journeys and defiant misdirections. Drawing on forms and motifs from their earlier works, they invite viewers in with familiarity while leading them to new discoveries. For Almehairi, this process involves layering that intertwines and overlaps yet remains, as her series title suggests, “off-centered.” In contrast, Buhmann’s recent pieces reflect a process of erasure, where absence can feel like a wound.
Almehairi’s fascination with overlapping appendages emphasizes her long-held belief that every surface, regardless of smoothness, possesses a sculptural quality. She employs an intuitive method of creating marks and layers, asserting that “aesthetics are a way of thinking.” Her linear measurements are influenced by 20th-century minimalism, particularly the grids of Agnes Martin, yet Almehairi’s approach does not seek definitive conclusions; instead, it examines phenomena—roots, weights, silence, celestial bodies, footsteps—from a unique angle that highlights imperfections and asymmetry. Similarly, Buhmann grapples with concepts of (im)perfection, viewing his paintings as evolving characters. He describes his recent works as a “detox version,” elements intentionally stripped away before being projected into the world. His mechanical-biomorphic portraits bear the marks of hardship—sickness, bites, slashes, and tears—which echo Buhmann’s ongoing fascination with Caravaggio.
The exhibition runs at Carbon 12 Gallery, Alserkal Avenue, from September 18 to November 9, 2024.
