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artist
statement

I began discovering my sculptural style when I started using metal surfaces in 1999, at first I worked on the concept of the human head and the metal surfaces helped me to move fantastically and develop architectural forms liberated in space. Influenced by Julio Gonzalez and the surface of Matisse and Russian constructivist. In 2003, I received the gold award for sculpture in Syria. However, my work was not acquired at all because I used iron and what is required in the art market is noble materials such as bronze, wood and marble. In fact, in the beginning of 2004, my work will become more extreme; at that point I started trying to convey the influence of american art in the 1930s and 1940s (sculpture and studies of David Smith, movement in the works of Pollock and boxes of Louise Nevelson) to sculpture. After 8 months of paper studies I came up with what I will call the "Boxes", this concept represents: shelter - grave - uterus - prison. Technically, the space was a challenging for I was making sculpture under restricted conditions.I was born in Lebanon and lived the beginnings of the civil war , and the memories of hiding from the bomb shells in the shelters came back with the concept of the Boxes. In Syria we lived under the rule of brutal and ignorant dictatorship, besieged the man and isolated him and here also "Boxes" were expressing psychologically and technically a closed political situation. The Boxes concept is a central case in my artistic career, it is an indirect expression of words we can't say, while at the same time a technical reaction to the vulgar and fake art culture representing life in Syria in a peaceful way. The boxes are in thin iron sheets bending because of the welding temperature and what makes it coherent is a few welding points, which gives a sense of disintegration or workability to collapse. Strong optical construction is matched by the possibility of disintegration of the work at any moment. It is the existential concern experienced by generations under the dictatorship.In 2010, the stage began to paint the sculpture as an entertaining artistic experiment in which I tried to break down the state of personal anxiety. This experiment developed and created colored  sculpture works and collage paintings.In fact, colored  sculptures were made in different and enjoyable ways. The last work of this stage was completed in 2016 in Damascus under the circumstances of the war.Now that I settled in Italy I go back to experimenting with the "Boxes" and discovered good possibilities I had not previously known within this concept.

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Exhibitions

2018 Immaginaria gallery, Florence, Italy

2017 Villa Romana, Florence, Italy

2016 Agial gallery Beirut, Lebanon

2015 Aafak Gallery, Damascus, Syria

2013 Participating in " Art Dubai " 

2013 groub exhibition Cuadro Gallery Dubai

2012 Participating in the 7th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary art (by net)

2011 Kozaah Gallery, Damascus, Syria

2008 Damascus Capital of Arab Culture – the new generation of the Syrian artists

2007 exhibition at Villa de bank, Enschede – The Netherlands

2007 Moustafa Ali Gallery, Damascus, Syria

2006 Group show at “ Buci” Gallery, Paris, France

2005 Abed Al Hameed Shuman Gallery, Amman, Jordan

2004 Dar Almada, Damascus, Syria

2004 Zara Gallery, Amman, Jordan

2003  “Damascus” Gallery, Damascus, Syria

2003 French Cultural Center, Damascus –with the participation of artist Raed Yassin (dance)

2002 Dar Almada, Damascus, Syria

2000 Exhibition with Waled Karesly at “Damascus” Gallery, Damascus, Syria

1998 Ashtar Gallery , Damascus, Syria

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Workshops & lectures

2017 - workshop at (Liceo Artistico Petrocchi) Pistoia

2017- Syrian art from the 1950s until now, Jorio Vivarelli Foundation - Pistoia - Italy

2017-  Art in times of revolution and war. Villa Romana - Florence – Italy 

2016 - Supervisor of a workshop for Iron Sculpture - September

2015 - Workshop (coloring the space) for architectural students-  March

2014 - Workshop (coloring the space) for architectural students - October

2013 - Supervisor of a workshop for Iron Sculpture -  April

2013 - Workshop (coloring the space) for architectural students – March

2012 - Workshop (coloring the space) for architectural students - April

1012 - Workshop ( coloring the space) for architectural students - February

2007 - Here as center of the world ” with dutch art institute (Dyarbakir-Turkey)

2007 - Supervisor of a workshop for Iron Sculpture at Bassel Saadi studio - july

2006 - lecture about modern sculptor trends until 1960 at Bassel Saadi workshop - jun

2006 – (here as center of the world workshop) with dutch art institute (Damascus-Syria)

2006 - Gadani workshop- vasl” karachi – Pakistan

2005- Supervisor of a workshop for Iron Sculpture at Bassel Saadi studio - january

2005 - Aiwa workshop, Aley - Lebanon - july

2003- Supervisor of a workshop for Iron Sculpture at “Damascus International Fair Grounds”  - october

2002 - Supervisor of a workshop for Iron Sculpture at “Damascus International Fair Grounds” - september

2001 - Workshop under supervision of Marwan, at “Abed Al Hameed Shuman” foundation, Amman, Jordan - September

Articles

Al Awan site - Egypt

Al Akhbar newspaper – Lebanon

Assafir newspaper – Lebanon

Al watan newspaper - Syria

Awards

2002 Award of “competition of the Institution of Damascus International

Fair” Syria

2003 Award of “competition of the Institution of Damascus International

Fair” Syria

2003 First award at “Al Mahaba” Festival, Lattakia, Syria

 

Scenography

- Designed the senography for the play “Insomnia” by “Studio Theatre” band, 2004.

- Designed the senography for the play “Samaah” by “Studio Theatre” band, 2008.

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