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French-born artist, Selwah Jabbar (as known as Essjay), is based in both London and Montpellier. She upcycles discarded, found objects and explores their creative potential as materials in her work. Her distinctive compositions, which are both abstract and figurative, are inspired by the natural and modern world around her, with environmental awareness as the dominant theme.
The ‘London Bands 'series of works exhibited here were created using rubber bands collected from the streets of London. Sitting at the crossroads of art and recycling, the used rubber bands discarded by postmen on their daily rounds around the capital gain a new lease of life. Bands not collected from the streets are also used to deliver messages about the cost of progress to the planet.
A 3D takes on the pointillism technique, the artworks are created using the intrinsic colours of the rubber bands which have lived on the street or the bands are individually painted before being glued onto the canvas. Small, distinct points are juxtaposed in patterns to form striking landscapes, seascapes and 21st century symbols.
Other works by Essjay not included here are created from objects washed up by the ocean, collected from the beaches around her home. Recently interviewed by BBC London on her work, this is Essjay’s first exhibition in London as an emerging artist.
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