​​An exhibition of abstract painting by Pasqual Tarazona, entitled Images of Sound, opens at the UJ Art Gallery on Wednesday 4 March 2015 at 18 30 for 19 00. Inspired by Beethoven’s final symphonies (6 to 9) , composed when he was deaf, Tarazona deprived himself of sight by blindfolding himself and painting without vision, guided only by the music of Beethoven to dictate the movement of his brushes in establishing marks, forms and gestures. The result is a powerful and moving solo exhibition full of poignant energy.​

Armed only with an IPod filled with Beethoven sounds and having set out blacks, greys and whites in pots, he allows the music to dictate the movement of his brushes in establishing marks, forms and gestures. Working simultaneously on various canvases or pieces of paper to allow for continuity of process, he only removes the blindfold to reveal the image once the music ends. The result is a spectacular body of work that is at once melodic, evocative and deeply moving, fitting in well with his earlier works in the cannon of abstract art and abstract expressionism.

The body of more than 25 major works including a 10m collage by Tarazona makes for a compelling body of work that will appeal to a broad range of viewers and will rightfully place him at the point of recognition that this 75 year old artist deserves after his years of dedication to his craft.

• Pasqual Tarazona, well – known couturier in the 1980’s and 90’s, has dedicated his life to the making of art. Since his fashion days, he has been an active painter, photomontage artist and sometime sculptor. Having studied at St Martins School of Art, London, and at the University of Witwatersrand under the tutelage and mentorship of Joyce Leonard, Karel Nel and Nel Erasmus, Tarazona has made the world of abstraction his playground. Often based within a tradition related to landscape painting he revels in the play of form, colour and line as it dances across the canvas or paper. He has exhibited widely in South Africa and internationally and is represented in many private and public collections. He divides his time between living in South Africa and Valencia, Spain.
• The guest curators of this show are the doyenne of abstract art in South Africa, Nel Erasmus, and Gordon Froud, senior lecturer at FADA (UJ).

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UJ Arts & Culture (Advancement) produces and presents world-class student and professional arts programmes aligned to the UJ vision of an international university of choice, anchored in Africa, dynamically shaping the future. A robust range of arts platforms are offered on all four UJ campuses for students, staff, alumni and the general public to experience and engage with emerging and established Pan-African and international artists drawn from the full spectrum of the arts. For regular updates follow @UJArtsCentre on Twitter or visit www.uj.ac.za/arts.