The Royal Gazette

27/07/05

"Stella Shakerchi, whose works make up the current show at the Bermuda Society of Arts Edinburgh Gallery at the City Hall, is primarily an abstractionist and a colourist. The first of her works is a series of abstracts formed in vertical swirls.

In one of these, 'Onda Sismica', the swirls are angled. The colour schemes in these compositions are generally pleasing, if not exactly smoothly coordinated nor yet startling.

At the end of the gallery are three large works that commanded the eye from the beginning. The central and largest of these is 'Magenta Lotus', a splendid geometric abstract of interlocking circles subtly made to flow by tangential curving connectors. As the title suggests, magenta is the dominant colour, supported by greens and blues. From a distance the effect of the painting is gently to undulate, a highly successful interpretation of the geometry in colour.

On its left is 'Seafarer', a particularly attractive abstract enhanced by subtle impasto and executed in the sea greens and blues suggested by the title. For me this was the star of the show, in part because I am particularly partial to its colour scheme, but also because of the quality of its execution.

In the same colour scheme is 'Guarigione Divina' an abstract bull's eye rendered in the angled swirls favoured by the artist. It is in the same general colour scheme as 'Seafarer', as is 'Blue Lotus', another smaller geometric abstract of elaborately interlocking circles. I preferred this one to the magenta one because I found the tangential connectors in the latter a little disturbing at close quarters. These are omitted in 'Lotus', which gains in coherence on that account.

There follow two more of the intriguing geometric abstracts, one in hot pinks and orange, the other in green and lavender. While the geometry is regular the colouring is not, a trick that allows the artist to tease the viewer into reassessing the reality of pure geometry by unbalancing the expected visual consistency.

Ms Shakerchi's fascinating series of abstracts are well worth a visit all on their own."


Andrew Trimingham, The Royal Gazette