Contemporary Art Society x Frieze acquisition of two new works for Wakefield's Permanent Art Collection

Announcing the acquisitions, the CAS Director Caroline Douglas said: ‘The Hepworth Wakefield has become one of the most dynamic collections of contemporary art in the UK. Their particular focus on women artists has an international perspective and champions emerging talent as well as representing more established artists. Nour Jaouda and Haegue Yang are emblematic of this distinctive collecting policy…We all look forward to seeing the works on display in Wakefield in the near future.’

Eleanor Clayton, Head of Collection and Exhibitions at The Hepworth Wakefield said: ‘We are so grateful to CAS for this incredible opportunity to purchase work for Wakefield’s collection at Frieze. The Hepworth Wakefield has no acquisition budget, so funds like this offer a rare chance to research and select acquisitions which make a pivotal impact on the collection. We’re thrilled to be acquiring work by Haegue Yang and Nour Jaouda, artists whose work references contemporary politics – particularly questions of migration and belonging – through judicious choices of materials, a new twist on the idea of ‘truth to materials’ that was at the heart of Barbara Hepworth’s practice. These acquisitions mark a significant shift towards the collection’s international ambitions, while connecting to Hepworth’s legacy.’

Nour Jaouda is an emerging artist based between Cairo and London.

The artist’s large-scale textile based work stands at the threshold of painting and sculpture. Drawing inspiration from the textures and colours of her immediate surroundings between two cosmopolitan cities, her work is particularly inspired by the prayer mats seen ubiquitously in Egypt. Typically suspended as wall hangings and tapestries – or stitched onto scraps from bent steel to form installations – Jaouda’s work is intricately layered and fragmented; translating into abstract visual landscapes that evoke the meditative spaces of religious ritual.

The textile work Dust that never settles, 2024 is comprised of dyed fabrics and pigment on canvas. In dark, earthy hues as well as vibrant blues and ochre yellows, the work provides a visual cacophony of colour and texture.

Korean artist Haegue Yang’s wide-ranging multidisciplinary practice encompasses sculpture, installation, video and performance.

Based between Berlin and Seoul, Yang’s works allude to the themes of migration, displacement and the intersection of the personal and political – conveyed through visual abstraction and sensory experiences accentuated through scent, sound, light and tactility.

Sonic Gym, Milky Coiffured Cosmic Compression, 2019, derives from the series Sonic Sculptures, 2013-ongoing, in which many of the sculptural works are made of bells. A medium of both functional and ceremonial purpose, bells are found in various civilisations, from tribal societies to the modern era, adding a layer of mythic and ritualistic memory to Yang’s ambitious works.