Zaha Hadid - Early Paintings

This weekend we went to visit the collection of early paintings by Zaha Hadid that are currently on display at the Serpentine Sackler Gallery. The exhibition showcases paintings and drawings dating back to the 1970's, and also includes a chance to see some of Hadid's sketchbooks. The focus of the exhibition is work created before she completed her first building - the Vitra Fire Station in 1993. This is a great opportunity to get to see some of Hadid's fantastically detailed, colourful paintings, a design tool that she used to dramatic effect, pre-empting the potential of digital and virtual reality. Her colour sense is clearly evident, as well as a characteristic lightness and dynamism. Hadid had an interest in "abstraction and explosion", influenced by the work of Kazemir Malevich, whom she considered "a representative of the modern avant-garde intersection between art and design." Several paintings referencing Malevich's work are on display. The exhibition runs until 12 February 2017, at the Serpentine Sackler Gallery, refurbished and extended by Hadid in 2013, and one of her first permanent buildings in Central London.