The Trees Now Stand Unpruned and Wild: Tatiana Chalhoub
Gallery Isabelle presents The Trees Now Stand Unpruned and Wild, the first exhibition in the UAE by Brazilian artist Tatiana Chalhoub (b. 1987, Rio de Janeiro). Bringing together new paintings, glazed ceramics and ceramic collages, the exhibition explores the intersections of nature, memory and material transformation. Drawing on the lush vegetation of her native Rio de Janeiro and the desert landscapes of the UAE, Chalhoub brings together trees, foliage and flowers with birds and desert animals in richly layered compositions.
Moving between painting and sculpture, her intuitive practice combines oil and acrylic, refractory clay, ceramic fragments and high-temperature glazes. Through processes of layering, breaking and reassembling, chance and imperfection become integral to the creation of new forms. At the heart of the exhibition is the tree, a recurring motif that carries both formal and deeply personal significance, rooted in a memory of her grandmother and an unexpected image she once recognised in the traces of an artwork. This personal history extends into the works through the incorporation of glass fragments from her grandmother’s belongings, transforming material remnants into vessels of remembrance.
Bringing together personal histories and material experimentation, The Trees Now Stand Unpruned and Wild reflects on growth, rupture and renewal, revealing how fragments of the past can take root in unexpected ways.
