Confluence: a coming, or flowing together, meeting or gathering at one point. (Merriam-Webster)

Every drawing begins with a line. Each artists lines reflect their unique vision, individual technique and independent approach to drawing.

Thirty five artist members of The Drawing Collective from thirteen countries have gathered with their work in this show Confluence of Lines.

Each artists works are like rivers flowing separately with their unique vision to meet at a point of confluence creating a rich fertile land of growth and possibility.

Sincerely, Munira Naqui

(Founder, The Drawing Collective)  October, 2023

The artists of the Drawing Collective share their thoughts on drawing and what it means to them with samples of their work for this exhibition.

The stories are fascinating and varied, yet the stories converge on one major point, their common passion for drawing.

The exhibition “Be Absolutely Concrete” presents works by the international artist collective “The Drawing Collective”, supplemented by selected works from the hase29 Open Call. 24 + 7 international and regional artists refer to the in their work Design language of constructivism and concrete art. New forms of expression in the mirror of The present opens up a broad spectrum: pencil drawings, works in ink, charcoal, with color pigment show reduced or complex spatial line structures and geometric color compositions. The The exhibition reveals references to the reduced Bauhaus vocabulary of forms, as well as to the Osnabrück-born artist Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart with his geometric-abstract Compositions.

Drawing Now celebrates the works by artists of the Drawing Collective and three guest artists. With its members hailing from eleven countries, the Drawing Collective’s objective is to maintain the development of an international aesthetic. The common denominator uniting these artists is the practice of drawing.

Descendants of Bauhaus, De Stijl, Réalities Nouvelles and Art Concret their works represent a contemporary continuum of research in the formal purity of abstraction. The core of the Drawing Collective lies in the inter-connectivity of artists separated by geographical, linguistic and cultural barriers. Devoted to the exploration of new strategies and methods, their works expand upon a rich intellectual and aesthetic history of abstract drawing.

Following Paris and Sydney, Drawing Now at the Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine is the Drawing Collective’s first exhibition in the United States.

Bruce Brown and Munira Naqui, Guest Curators

Drawing Collective Sydney 2017 showcases the work of the members of the Collective and their guests in ArticulateUpstairs, a place known for its commitment to contemporary art.

Member artists and guests from ten countries are featured in this exhibition. Various forms of contemporary drawing with novel ideas, approaches and mediums are explored. The Drawing Collective is a virtual community of artists who draw as part of their individual practice and are committed to our mission to establish connections among artists across borders and cultural divides. We are united in our search for the universal common ground though our work and interactions. We are deeply honored to be hosted by Articulate Upstairs in Sydney.

We thank the directors of this organization and our member curator Barbara Halnan for this opportunity and dedicated effort in organizing this show. I feel very honored to offer my deepest gratitude to our member artist Erdem Küçükköroğlu for his ongoing effort designing and publishing our catalogs. His generosity and untiring dedication was key in bringing this beautiful catalog to life.

Last but not least, I would like to thank the members of our Collective and our guests for their enthusiastic participation.

Sincerely, Munira Naqui

(Founder, The Drawing Collective)  March, 2017

'The Drawing Collective Paris 2017' showcases the works of the members of the Drawing Collective, an international group of artists from nine countries. As we continue to explore the multiple forms of contemporary drawing in our individual practices, the Collective strives to expand with the inclusion of artists with similar inclinations from a wider geographic reach. We remain dedicated to our mission to form connections among artists across borders and cultural divides, always in search of the universal common ground through our work and interactions, the seed of unity. 

We are deeply honored to be hosted this year by Galerie Olivier Nouvellet, a gallery with a remarkable presence in the cultural center of Paris. We thank Olivier Nouvellet, the director of the gallery and Christine Boiry, our member curator for their dedicated effort in bringing this show together. I feel very honored to offer my deepest gratitude to our member artist Erdem Küçükköroğlu for his ongoing effort in designing and publishing our catalogs. His generosity and untiring dedication was key in bringing this beautiful catalog to life.

Last but not least I would like to thank the members of our collective and our guests for their enthusiastic participation.

Sincerely, Munira Naqui

(Founder, The Drawing Collective)  March, 2017

The first show of the Drawing Collective is scheduled to open on March 23, 2016 in Paris, France. Bogumila Strojna has been instrumental in spearheading this effort. This show is accompanied by a digital catalog designed and executed beautifully by Erdem Küçükköroğlu.

I would like to thank all our member artists for their enthusiastic participation, their generosity in sharing their views and perspectives and their courage in exploring possibilities.

I look forward to the evolving process in the realm of our work and the Collective.

Sincerely, Munira Naqui

(Founder, The Drawing Collective)  March 5, 2016