Pouran Jinchi and Ruba Salameh Explore Displacement Through Abstract Codes in London Exhibition

Gazelli Art House in London presents 'Cipher,' a two-person exhibition featuring Iranian-born Pouran Jinchi and Palestinian artist Ruba Salameh, running until 30 November. Jinchi's enamel panels blend calligraphic traditions with abstraction, using military colors like camouflage, ribbons, and flags to address themes of war and conflict beneath decorative surfaces. Her works, such as 'P as Papa Octagon' (2017) and 'B as Bravo Octagon' (2017), deconstruct memories of shifting cities under displacement. Salameh's paintings draw from modernism, including Russian Constructivism and the German Bauhaus, with compositions like 'Composition I' (2020) and 'Stripcle B.R.O' (2020) that she describes as minimal rather than cubist, citing Agnes Martin as an inspiration. She incorporates almost invisible black dots representing insects or indigenous people, symbolizing collective identity and land loss, as seen in 'Carmel' (2021). Both artists use color coding: Jinchi's electric palette contrasts with Salameh's subdued tones. Jinchi explains her work plays with 'sense and nonsense,' merging control from calligraphy with abstract painting's freedoms. Salameh notes her color choices involve dialogues with contradictions to create harmonious puzzles for viewers. The exhibition explores visual codes against real-world tensions of colonialism and displacement, with surfaces requiring unlocking to reveal deeper testimonies.