Spring Collection: Fatima Moallim

At the heart of Fatima Moallim’s practice lies drawing. It is the red thread that ties together her artistry, always present in installations, sculpture, and performance—when it is not the very essence, as in these works in pencil and oil pastel on paper.

In the presented works, the line is prominent, both continuous and broken. Sometimes it moves in circles, other times, it throws itself back and forth. Powerful fields of color collide with each other, clash, and occasionally harmonize instead, moving in the same direction. Letters, numbers, and symbols reappear as if from a kind of manifested subconscious. Sometimes they stand side by side but seemingly without creating a meaning accessible to the viewer.

The group of works OMEGA shares its name with the last letter of the Greek alphabet, which often symbolizes the end of all things. In OMEGA, the number eight is repeated, in turn associated with infinity. After row upon row, the number eight abandons its function as a digit and symbol, eventually becoming a geometric form that can be filled with new meaning. In glimpses, impressions of the city seep in, revealing themselves through sudden word formations, such as METRO and KFC, or titles like Bourse de Commerce and Spring Collection.

Moallim’s raw and intuitive works evoke a kind of stream of consciousness; their creation seems immediate. Although the expression suggests a direct and almost eager process, Moallim has processed the works internally for a long time before transferring them to paper. Like the doodles Moallim drew on the walls of her childhood home, they embody what simply must come out.

Sofia Ringstedt, Stockholm, 2024