TALIA GOLCHIN | UMBILICS
Umbilics is the first solo presentation by British/Iranian artist Talia Golchin (*1986 Tehran, lives and works in London) in which she presents the homonymous series of paintings and sculptures. Her practice explores the multifaceted qualities of human nature: purity and innocence collide with the raw and primal urges inhabiting our unconscious.
Bodies, sex, rage, fear, desperation, and greed interspersed with moments of levity are the source of her Umbilics series, which the artist describes as the ‘human zoo’.
Using oil paint and chalk pastels, Golchin arranges featureless rotund bodies in the confined space of the canvas. Body parts are interlocked, squeezed and piled up, often posed in a surreal tableaux setting, drawing on both art historical and present-day influences. The artist portrays voluptuous female body parts in tragicomic narratives with a sardonic glimpse of social convention, offering an autobiographical insight into the ‘beautiful tragedy’ of real life events.
The protagonists in her paintings come to life through her inflatable latex sculptures. The choice of material makes the corporeal and plump nature of these figures even more tactile. Latex replicates softness of human skin whilst the inflatable element of the sculptures share similarity to a balloon, suggesting playfulness, as well as provoking desire.
These contradictions throughout Golchin’s practice embody her personal experience remaining sensitive to the peculiarities and contradictions of human nature.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Talia Golchin (*1986 Tehran) is a British/Iranian artist who lives and works in London. She has earned her MA Fine Art from Central Saint Martins in 2021, following her studies in Fashion Design at UCLAN. Her artistic practice includes painting, sculpture, and digital media. Talia Golchin’s work has been included in group shows at the Barbican Arts Group Trust, London; Tate Modern, London; Saatchi Gallery, London; and most recently at The Bomb Factory, London. In 2021, the artist was invited to take part in the Women Bauhaus Collective project and residency organized by La Prairie. In that context, her work has been presented at Art Basel and Frieze London in 2022. Talia Golchin’s work has been featured in Dazed Digital, Wallpaper, Architectural Digest France, and Frieze Magazine.
Installation views: Esther Mathis