For his fourth solo presentation at Victoria Miro Mayfair, London-based artist Idris Khan continues his ongoing experimentation with photographic techniques and processes. Titled “Conflicting Lines,” the exhibition features large-scale composite photographs made from a series of oil stick paintings as well as a series of five 12 x 16 inch platinum prints.Khan's innovative techniques of layering, repetition, and superimposition result in works that interrogate and challenge the boundary between a painting and a photograph.As described by the gallery, “Idris Khan's work is a continuous process of creating and erasing, adding new layers whilst retaining traces of what has been.”To find out more about Khan’s intense creative processes and the works in “Conflicting Lines,” BLOUIN ARTINFO got in touch with the artist and asked him a few questions.Conflicting Lines is your fourth solo presentation with Victoria Miro. Could you explain the title of the exhibition and what it reveals about the works on show?The images in the show are photographs of paintings I have been making in the studio over the last five months of different writings I wrote when looking at images of conflict. The end result is a composite image of over 1,000 pictures.I wanted to find a title that alluded to the creation of a painting — lines of oil paint conflicting on a surface, alluding to the words first written in the paintings.I have been working with the gallery for 10 years but this is my first show in the Mayfair gallery, it’s exciting to be showing these new works in the space.The exhibition includes a number of large-scale composite photographs made from a series of oil stick paintings. What is the significance of the process that leads to the creation of these works?For this series of works there is an element of erasure. First comes the painting of a word and then the destruction of that word, deleting it from existence and changing its nature. By using photography I can document every stage of this evolution capturing parts of the painting that might have been erased have been saved in the final image. The viewer is left with an image that looks like time is unfolding in front of them.The exhibition statement mentions your use of Roland Barthes’ theory of the “punctum.” Could you explain the theory and how you use it?The 'punctum' is a word used to describe something that leaps out of a photograph and traps your gaze. Something that might not be obvious at first but is the thing that has an effect on you emotionally. For example, in the photograph titled 'A Grey Bucket' I wrote about a grey bucket covered in ash after a heavy bombing. The actual photograph was a picture of a man sitting amongst all the rubble with nothing left, which of course in itself is horrific. But there was something about the bucket that was lifeless, still, covered with the weight of history, never to be used again — lost.Also included in the exhibition is a series of platinum prints titled “Church Walk Studio.” What is the significance of the title of these works?Church walk is the street that my studio is on and I wanted to title the photographs with the name of where they were made. What is your interest in pushing the boundary between painting and photography? What do you want to achieve with this ongoing line of inquiry?I've always considered myself more influenced by abstract painters rather than by photographers. It’s very difficult in a world over-saturated with images to create a photograph that questions your way of looking. With this new series of works I want there to be a deception to what you see. At first you may think you are looking at a painting, but on closer inspection you see the flat surface of a photograph. I want my photographs to slow viewers down and to consider the time involved in the making of a photograph. The final photographs capture the impossibility of seeing every stage of a painting.
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