Doubletake
Painted in his famously photographic or hyper-realist style, Riyas Komu’s portraits of migrantsfrom different countries and lines of workin Gulf cities force the viewer to do a doubletake. What does it mean to conceal the painterliness of these images behind the appearance of their smooth and almost mechanically producedsurfaces? Some of his figures are depictedgazing into the distanceagainst a metallic blue background, perhapsthe cloudless sky of their desert clime. Others seem to be looking at a camera with the familiar poses and expressions of photographed subjects the world over.