Rabia Farooqui : Synthetic Skin

A giant teddy bear lounges in a rocking chair while women embrace its arms and legs, stroke its fur. In Synthetic Skin, a solo exhibition of miniature paintings by Karachi-based artist Rabia Farooqui at Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Wandsworth, the teddy bear transforms from a simple childhood toy into a complex symbol of longing, desire, connection and detachment.

 

Farooqui is interested in the performance of identity, particularly in relation to gender roles and social interactions. She likens her compositions to theatre sets in which gestures as well as the arrangement of characters and objects in space work to suggest multiple narrative threads. Take, for instance, the painting in which a woman lies on a bed hugging a teddy bear close to her body. Her embrace appears both sexual and childlike, with the teddy acting as both surrogate lover and a reminder of the unconditional love we associate with childhood. On the teddy's back, a real bear perches – perhaps symbolising desire or danger. To the right, a man appears oddly out of place, his crouched, passive posture contrasting with the dynamic tension in his shadow, where his hand reaches toward the bear. What is the relationship between these figures? Are they partners in conflict, siblings, or friends? Farooqui invites us to step into these ambiguous scenes, leaving space for us to bring our own experiences and interpretations to the narrative.

 

Texture also plays an important role in this series as both for its emotional resonance and as a storytelling device. Throughout the works, Farooqui juxtaposes soft and hard surfaces, smooth and rough, synthetic and natural materials. In one painting, two women wrap their hair around a teddy bear in an act that suggests ownership, devotion and a desire to merge with the toy, to return to a childlike state. ‘For me, hair is like a symbol of your true self, it connects to your roots,’ Farooqui says. Alongside this interaction, we also encounter a real bear whose fur is of a distinctly different texture to that of the teddy as well as a wooden sculpture of bear. Each version of the bear conveys a unique tacility, evoking different moods and types of connection.

 

As Farooqui notes the lingering presence of the childhood toy is problematic not just on an emotional level, but also materially: it is a product of consumerist society and the synthetic materials from which it is made are harmful to the planet. This adds another layer of meaning: her paintings explore the ways we form attachments but also subtly critique humanity’s complex, often contradictory relationship with the natural world. After all, a teddy bear is essentially a miniature domesticated version of a real bear whose predatory nature, in these paintings, is either directly ignored or subdued by the artificial setting. Instead, the real bear takes on the role of a forlorn, dejected character, while all attention and intimacy is directed at its inanimate likeness.

 

Herein lies the true irony of the work: as Farooqui’s figures seek comfort in an object that cannot reciprocate, opportunities for real connection – to nature, to others, and to self – remain unfulfilled. In this way, she prompts us to consider how and where our attention lies. Are we, like her figures, drawn to safe illusions, even as real intimacy slips quietly out of reach?