Born in Baghdad in 1975, Alsoudani left his homeland when he was 19 years old, eventually immigrating to the United States where he studied art. Since 2006, he’s participated in some big-name shows, including the Venice Biennale, and his work has found its way into some equally big-name collections, like those of Charles Saatchi (who’s acquired Alsoudani’s paintings in depth) and François Pinault. This solo show of new large-scale canvases is his first at Gladstone Gallery, one of 11 that he’s had here and abroad.
His rapid ascent to art-star status has been aided by the nature of his work, which blends imagery and abstraction into dense, knotty compositions that recall Francis Bacon in some places and Philip Guston in others. Given his Iraqi background, his war-inspired imagery of conflict and violence seems especially relevant in the post-9/11 era.
In his latest series, Alsoudani explores aggression of a different sort, one related more to psychological abuse or even S&M. The works, rendered in acrylic and charcoal, depict fragmented figures, body parts and objects bumping up against each other in piles bound together with belts and chains.
The result resembles an orgy or indistinguishable mass that’s somewhat beyond comprehension. But the work’s emotional impact, combined with its physical beauty, definitely hits a nerve. If Alsoudani is essentially inviting us to witness a massive clusterfuck, his paintings make it easy to do.
—Paul Laster