As part of its 2023 Autumn Season, Tashkeel is pleased to present “Ways of Seeing”, a solo exhibition by the UAE-based, Lebanese artist Jamal Tayara-Baroudy of Tashkeel's Critical Practice Programme 2022.
 

‘Ways of Seeing’ examines the connections between human experience, geography and memory. The title conveys emotional and physical aspects of the exhibition’s concept; the process of creating work that focuses on biological ‘matter’, the profound bond between the artist and the natural world and the role of the artist as Ethnobotanist.

The exhibition raises awareness about the importance of plants as a natural, sustainable resource. It serves as a call to revisit the collective wisdom of cultures and reconnect with the values and properties of flora, once revered yet today regarded with contempt.

The subject of Jamal’s research over the last 18 months has been the giant milkweed (Calotropis Procera), a species of flowering plant native to North Africa, Pakistan, tropical Africa, Western Asia, South Asia and Indochina. The artist used various parts of the Calotropis Procera plant in producing this new body of work, including pods, fibers, seeds, stalks, and leaves, all gathered by hand. This plant, often seen as invasive and toxic, has multiple valuable uses. It also has applications in agriculture, petroleum, roofing, traditional medicine, and cosmetics.

A collaboration between the artist Jamal Tayara-Baroudy and Dr. Mohammad Abiad highlighted the untapped potential of this plant, emphasizing the need to leverage intellectual resources for solutions in our world.

 

During the 2022 Critical Practice Programme, Jamal was mentored by the curator Lesley Ann Gray and Dr Mohammad Abiad, Associate Professor and Director of the Laboratories for the Environment, Agriculture, and Food (LEAF) at the American University of Beirut.