The theory goes that when we look at something, we are presented with a message, or ‘signified,’ in the form of a ‘signifier,’ being any image or object – or anything else – that can carry meaning. As underlined by contemporary Canadian artist Shaan Syed, not everyone receives these images in the same way. In other words, we all see differently, and what we do see is massively influenced by context and identity. From 4th July–15th August 2020, Freehouse will once again be open to the public, making its post-lockdown debut with an exhibition titled ‘Thank you India, Goodbye Pakistan, Hello England.’ The show will feature three works by Syed, composed of deconstructed images of the spiral minaret staircase at the Great Mosque of Samarra, Iraq. Across these paintings, and his wider body of work, the artist explores the politics of seeing.

When a hyperlink is clicked, it triggers an on-screen redirection toward a stated Uniform Resource Locator, or URL. This action, though minuscule and often disregarded, is significant in its symbolism of virtuality, and of what virtual curating can offer us. These worlds do not exist in the present, and they are not physically reachable spaces. Instead, they can be found in a life-world that is dissimilar to our own, by switching on an electronic device, connecting to the internet, and allowing a coded set of events to take us on a journey through an art space.