Flaunting Szafki

A retrospective of paintings by Yusef Szafki.

Scottish painter Yusef Szafki (1950–2021) produced his colourful and enigmatic canvases over several decades, and was notably influenced by mid-twentieth century Abstract Expressionism.

Held at Dovecot Studios and organised by Sheila Szatkowsk and Johnny Rodger, the 2022 event was the first attempt to publicly display Yusef’s life’s work. As such it gave an overview of his experimentation and his ever-developing concerns with form, tone and texture.

The exuberance and the humour in his oeuvre is best appreciated in such a broad cross-section. This allowed themes, long-term intentions and even obsessions to be followed at length, exploring how Szafki overturns and refashions them over time with sudden and unexpected changes in methods and materials.

Explore the online exhibition version >>>