Shezad Dawood: Towards the Possible Film, Parasol unit

Towards the Possible Film by contemporary artist Shezad Dawood receives its UK premiere at Parasol unit as part of a solo exhibition of the same name. Filmed in the alien landscape of Sidi in Northern Morocco, which looks like the surface of Mars, Towards the Possible Film evokes both past events and future possibilities. Parallels are drawn between the history of colonial encounters and the fictional trope of 'alien encounter', as two blue astronauts emerge from the sea to the consternation of the local inhabitants. Throughout his films Dawood draws on movie genres such as science fiction, cowboy westerns, or zombie movies, twisting their conventions to produce new meanings. 
Dawood is a master of cinematography. Another film, A Mystery Play, is equally stunning and gains power through its enigmatic location, set in an early 20th Century Masonic building in Winipeg, Canada. The show also includes large paintings on textiles that were woven by women in Pakistan in the 1970s. Dawood is a British artist with Pakistani and Indian roots, and his experience of being between cultures informs his work. A set of light sculptures explore an interest in mysticism and the occult, suggesting altered states of perception, or mystical experiences associated with light. 
The worlds and the narratives that Dawood constructs are surreal to the extent that we too feel can feel as alien as his subjects. But this world is so cinematically alluring that it is a pleasure to get lost in. Threading the exhibition together are a string of ideas about the collision of different cultures, and the possibility of communication between them. Dawood is a rising star with a unique aesthetic and a remarkable ability to wield this into sets of profound questions. Don’t miss this opportunity to catch this show whilst you can.