In Conversation: Zadie Xa and Tarini Malik

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    Zadie Xa: House Gods, Animal Guides and Five Ways 2 Forgiveness, Whitechapel Gallery, London, 20 September 2022 – 30 April 2023. Photo: Andy Keate.

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Past Event


This event was on Thursday 24 November, 7pm

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In Conversation: Zadie Xa and Tarini Malik

Thurs 24 Nov | 7pm | £5

Densely packed with symbolism, House Gods, Animal Guides and Five Ways 2 Forgiveness blends Korean spiritual references with motifs from pop culture and science fiction. Painting, sculptures and textiles are installed in and around a hanok, a traditional Korean home and represents various spiritual figures. Sculptures of household deities and animistic avatars guide visitors to the spirit realm, conjuring ancient belief systems in an exploration of Xa’s diasporic identity. A place of liminality, the space exists between night and day, life and death, the home and the spirit world. 

In this evening discussion, Xa unpacks the religious, cultural and mythological symbols within the work and reflects upon her creative process as she transformed a gallery in Whitechapel into a portal to another realm.  

Audience members will be able to pose questions to Xa in a live Q&A, and to visit the display before or after the talk. 

About Zadie Xa:

Zadie Xa was born in Vancouver, Canada in 1983. She has an MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art and a BFA from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design.  Recent solo exhibitions include: The Box Plymouth (2022), National Gallery (2021, Leeds Art Gallery (2021), Remai Modern (2020). Group exhibitions and performances include: Jeju Biennale (2023), Somerset House (2023), Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2022), Hauser & Wirth, London (2022) Jeffrey Deitch Gallery (2022), Blindspot Gallery, Hong Kong (2022), Hauser & Wirth, Los Angeles (2022), Castello di Rivoli (2021), Haus der Kunst (2021), Shanghai Biennale (2021), Frieze London (2020), AGO Toronto (2020), Art Night (2020), Venice Biennale (2019), Hayward Gallery (2018) and Serpentine Galleries (2018 & 2017). Xa lives and works in London.


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