The Breeder is pleased to present MIRRORS, the second solo exhibition of Maria Hassabi at the gallery, which explores the interplay between reality and perception of an image.

At the heart of the exhibition is her installation "Mirrors", first presented at Art Basel Unlimited in June 2024. Nine photographs merge in a large frame of golden acrylic mirrors, portraying distorted figures of the same color scheme. Hassabi used mirrors to capture the reflections of the dancers' movements as a way to abstract the body further than a naked eye could possibly perceive it. This process was used as a commentary on the pervasive influence of media in shaping our perceptions. Placing the photographic works back onto their material of origin, the viewer can look at them and look back at themselves, initiating a loop of reflection.

A new series of paintings completes the exhibition. The paintings feature elongated gold leaf figures on a white background.  While a similar process with the photographic works was applied to create the paintings, their materiality resembles an outer skin, a distorted layer of a posed body. Stillness here is prominent. The figures are descriptive and yet, their lack of breath is palpable.

Hassabi's works collectively encourage are-examination of one's own image in a fragmented, digital age, reclaiming a nuanced sensitivity often dulled by the rapid pace of visual consumption. In this disconnected world, she portrays an illusory  presence, and blurs the lines between stillness-movement, space-time, subject-viewer.  The strokes of warm colors attempt to draw us towards a corporeal form of self-perception.

The works featured in this exhibition are a continuation of her immersive performative installation "I'll Be Your Mirror", first exhibited at Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong in 2023.

Maria Hassabi (b. Cyprus) is an artist and choreographer working with live performance, installation, sculpture, painting, photography and video. Since the early 2000s she has carved a unique artistic practice based on the relationship between the live body, the still image, and the sculptural object. Hassabi's works reflect concepts of time and the human figure, while employing a variety of media to emphasize the complexity of formal organization. In most of Hassabi's works the performing body is the main subject, often embedded within imposing installations. Her photographic, video and sculptural works use her live performances as a departure point, while the use of technological tools and approaches are employed to override the limitations that occur within the format of liveness and realness.