Nasir Nasrallah's 'Poetic of Machines' Blends Magic Realism with Technology at Abu Dhabi's 421

Nasir Nasrallah's solo exhibition 'Poetic of Machines' at 421 in Abu Dhabi explores the fusion of humans and machines through magic realism. The show features ink-and-watercolour drawings like 'The journey of living machines that are floating somewhere 01-02' (2023), where mechanical parts morph into organic forms. Works such as 'The Interaction', 'Tribes of the living machines', and 'Rotation' (all 2023) depict figures with human faces or flesh-like growths. 'The mirror that does not reflect you only' (2023) uses blue acrylic ink on glass to merge viewer and machine. The centrepiece 'Faxes to myself' (2023) invites visitors to send faxes to the artist, with responses filed in a binder, collapsing spacetime. 'The comic of nonsense events' (2023) is a wordless comic book paying homage to manga artist Maki Sasaki. The exhibition includes neon LED pieces instructing to 'resist logic' and 'support randomness'. Nasrallah, who studied telecommunication engineering, dedicated the show to his late grandfather. The exhibition runs until 24 September 2023.