Massoud Hayoun: Paper Ships

Larkin Durey is delighted to present Massoud Hayoun’s third solo show with the gallery.

Hayoun’s work continues to interrogate contemporary politics through the lens of his North African heritage and the stories of people he observes in daily life. His paintings document the shock waves of colonial violence, an increasingly volatile global political landscape and the devastating impact on the lives of society’s most vulnerable. They also pay tribute to everyday acts of courage; the woman who watches over workers in an LA parking lot, the coalition of activists behind the Freedom Flotilla Coalition attempting to bring aid to the starving people of Gaza. Each pastel hued painting is an act of defiance against hopelessness.

Living in Los Angeles at a time of rising authoritarianism in the US, this body of work depicts scenes from the frontline of anti-ICE demonstrations. A monumental triptych, the largest work the artist has produced, shows the moment of his arrest at its centre, while the left and right panels pay tribute to the long history of immigrants who have built new lives in the face of prejudice and harassment. Some of these figures wear the mask of the crone from Japanese Noh opera, an old woman believed to haunt those who have wronged her from beyond the grave. Justice – a common theme in Hayoun’s work - is demanded by marchers holding placards that speak of an ever-widening economic inequality.

Hayoun’s grandmother, a recurring symbol of strength and resistance, appears in multiple works, preparing fiery harissa – the fuel of rebellion – and ensuring the past is not forgotten. The artist’s grandfather turns to face us as he leaves with his suitcase; uprooted yet again, in permanent exile from his Egyptian homeland. In another canvas, he sits alongside Hayoun who upends the table in frustration at the archaic structures keeping the same people in power. Originally conceived as a way to paint ghosts, Hayoun’s signature blue unites all of his figures across time and place, signifying how quickly the present becomes the past and as such, how much each moment matters.

Sown with symbols of hope and solidarity such as the endangered monarch butterfly, who people around the world are helping conserve, the lighthouse of Alexandria, the Palestinian watermelon and recipes and photographs from his own family archive, Hayoun’s paintings encourage us to consider the ways in which we are woven together and remember our shared humanity.

Hayoun was born in 1987 and lives and works in Los Angeles, USA. His work has been acquired by the Fondation Gandur pour l'Art, Geneva and Her Highness Princess Nauf Bendar Al Saud.