A Refreshing Take on Figurative Painting at JD Malat Gallery

An intriguing new group exhibition at JD Malat Gallery in Mayfair offers a fresh perspective on figurative painting. Contemporary painters whose work explores the body, both as a tangible material and as a representation of the intangible are featured, and the curatorial premise has been guided by each artist’s personal response to the overriding theme of ‘Body & Metaphor’. In a welcome diversion from the outdated figurative painting of art history, which was traditionally executed by male artists and dominated by the male gaze, the artists selected for the JD Malat exhibition are dissecting and subverting outmoded depictions of the body. ‘Contemporary Figuration: Between Body & Metaphor’ explores notions of ‘self’, identity, critical race, queer theory and the technological body, and a cleverly curated selection of established and emerging artists illustrate the diverse ways in which various artistic styles can engage with the challenge of portraying the modern human subject.