Having studied art in London in the early 1980s Sharif was particularly drawn to British Constructivism, and theorist Kenneth Martin’s analysis of the movement’s “systematized constructive process governed by chance and order” catalysed his arbitrary yet systematic process. During the same period Sharif’s visits to markets in Sharjah and Dubai inspired his use of a wide range of common materials and commodities like utensils, plastic cups, cotton, jute rope and metal.
Hassan Sharif creates numerous Objects via improvisation and randomness that generate continually evolving and failing systems. He constructs these objects from mass-produced materials that he twists and ties together into assemblages and piles. His techniques are rudimentary and once he becomes bored or too comfortable with a particular technique he will abandon the project and consider it complete.
Sharif cancels the purpose of an object or material, and deconstructs it in order to reconstruct it as an unprecious art object.
