Farah Atassi: From Abandoned Interiors to Constructivist Abstraction

Farah Atassi, born in Brussels in 1981 and based in Paris, has shifted her practice from depicting dilapidated, atmospheric interiors to a focus on pure pictorial construction. Her recent works abandon anecdotal references and pathos in favor of exploring color, line, and space through a systematic approach inspired by Russian Constructivism and modernism. Using masking tape to create crisp architectural lines over color fields, she leaves visible pentimenti and paint drips as traces of the creative process. Paintings like 'Workshop 2' feature mosaic tiles that evoke Mondrian's 'Broadway Boogie Woogie,' while 'Abandoned Dormitory' introduces colored tiles and an inverted floor-ceiling motif reminiscent of Georg Baselitz. Atassi's figurative yet non-narrative works, such as 'Playroom,' incorporate motifs from Russian folk art and references to Malevich, creating an oscillation between image and paint. Her recent solo exhibitions include shows at Galerie Jean Brolly (2010), Galerie Xippas (2011), and a two-person exhibition with Elodie Lesourd at Les Églises, centre d’art contemporain, Chelles (2011).