Safir – Page 3

Colours Memories & Sensation: An Interview with Adel Dauood- By Lilya Chigara

By Safir April 8, 2017 April 15, 2017 Interviews

Having heard his name among various artists and having researched his work; a man full of emotion, capable of delivering even the smallest of sensations through his work; I finally got to interview the remarkable Adel Dawood. As I was listening to him speak, I appreciated how he communicated like a true artist, with a voice full of emotion lightened with humor.

Having taken up drawing during the 5^th grade, he continued to later on participate in numerous drawing activities and painting competitions. As a result, he was his school’s most achieved and renowned artist.Being in an environment that encouraged him to experiment his talent was an advantage he had when growing up. He found himself interacting with people who enjoyed drawing and painting. The catalyst to his passion for art started when he watched his uncle and cousin. He was ‘’was impressed by the family standard.”

Once he was part of the academic art world Adel had a chance to study other artists work and fully understand it which permitted a flow of inspiration that in turn influenced his work “After ingoing the Fine Art Center I was fascinated by Barsoum Barsouma one of the very important Syrian artists” he declares an admiration towards Barsoum’s work followed by his appreciation for Van Gogh.

“Nostalgic for the past, nostalgic of all the memories”

As a Syrian refugee in Austria, once he moved to Vienna he shared a room with 9 people struggling at first, trying to adapt. Yet the main difficulty he sees is that he gets to visit all the cities of the world but his own. “This on its own is a tragedy”. The difficulties Adel faced were external to the frame of his atelier however; very clearly reflecting the high caliber of his paintings. The late ‘Malva’, Omar Hamid, one of the great artists, was a dear friend of Adel’s in whom he sought liberation. He says: “He was my father, my uncle. He was really affectionate, he used to tell me Adel don’t forget you’re an artist”. His ongoing mourning of the loss of his mentor has been translated and projected in Adel’s art work one way or another.

After a little while in the city luck turned his way; a project was taking place called ‘’The Future of Painting’’. The idea was to promote contemporary artists residing in Austria. Numerous artists applied to this program amongst whom was Adel who had been selected with another 21 artists chosen out of 750. However, it wasn’t all due to luck for it was his talent that distinguished him amongst the rest. This helped market Adel’s effort permitting the galleries to witness his work.

” I was subconsciously working on my observations”

He classifies his work under ‘New Expressionism’. When I asked him how his style evolved after estrangement and when he was back home he simply said “You don’t realize it, it’s the state of mind and the place that change, it’s the place that will have an effect on your work in a way or another” When in Syria, his work circled around the set of Ramadiat, as he named it which was related to the houses and the atmosphere in “Sham” as he calls his hometown. He was affected by the place, the region and its colors, in that period he mostly used a color that represented the place yellow, red or green

Adel did not realize to which degree he was evolving, to him he was just adapting to his environment, “I was just working at my present state”. As an inquisitive illustrator he believes that research helps building ones knowledge “studying & exploring is what will help your growth” was his way of putting it.

When asked about the most important period in his artistic career, he did not pin point one specific time frame and instead replied “each period has its importance to me”. Moving to Beirut was his first time leaving Syria, he sensed a certain confusion which has been mirrored in his work, and he believes that everything new is important. “If it scares you then it’s of a significance”. He believes that the leading epoch is yet to come.

“The receiver is clever, he knows where my vulnerabilities are”

There are two types of art work, either sensational or realistic. As Adel experienced working with both when he started through art school he chose to continue down the path with an art that triggers emotion to the spectator. I reveled by how he called his spectators receivers as he had a message to deliver, wanting them to understand him trying to express it through his work. An abundance of thoughts in his head attempting to be lain on a white canvas. He believes that the spectator will see through his vulnerabilities when looking at his pieces. Through these intricate works of art, they would be able to see the frustration he fostered when operating.

“There is an internal mania that needs to be engaged in a contemporary artistic way”. He appreciates when the spectator sees his inner thoughts, with a large volume of emotion and peace, with an infinite abundance of “whys”? “I’m not giving a solution but expressing my sadness in my work “

“There are things lovelier than war, there’s art, there are colors, there are feelings” saying it with a voice full of passion he declares the message he would like to deliver through his paintings. “I can’t say it with a couple of phrases” he struggled, not finding enough words to express himself.

Entering another world when working on his art, “Sometimes I put music but I can’t hear it, a parting occurs between me and the outside world” facing a tough situation at times searching for responses in his work “There is an energy that needs to be letdown”. He likes to experiment and try different things with his canvases stating how “sometimes you don’t know how your work can surprise you “

“You see great important artists that did not necessarily get the academic formation. The workshop is your primary tutor”

When I asked Adel about his opinion on artists that didn’t go to a certain faculty of arts but built themselves on their own, he expressed his awe with these artists in saying that “it’s not really all about the academic system”. When he decided to enter a school of arts it was to get a broader understanding of art; however, he cited that it was not all about the art faculty and that they have a certain advantage. In his opinion, those with an academic art education have a higher interaction with the art world which helps them become better with the technicalities of engaging their work. “This matter is subjective really, it’s all about the outcome”.

When it comes to the Western world ‘’vs’’ the Middle Eastern in appreciating art and artists, Adel referred to the last 5 years in the Middle East as having had important exhibitions; however, in the west when it comes to the market and galleries he remarked that “it’s been there for ages, so of course it’s more prominent in west”. Facing a problem when he moved to the west he expressed how “they don’t take into consideration artist who had important exhibitions in the east, what’s important to them are the galleries you presented in, Europe and the US”. The prices of the two markets differ which causes a problem to the artist when trying to adapt their rates when moving from one the other.

“Sometimes the work is splendid, but it doesn’t get the attention it needs”

He explains how unfortunately, the galleries depend on the market, they take the art that can be sold, they consider the artistic value of a painting but sometimes it just isn’t enough. “Only few galleries take the risk with an artist”. Working at his own pase he never changes his style to please, never transforming his art to something that can be commercialized according to the needs of the market. According to Adel, “it would be a catastrophe if he worked depending on attitudes outside of the workshop” not liking the idea of becoming a brand. “It’s all about what you want” he said. Adel needs the freedom of experimenting and varying his style that certain galleries might restrict. “There needs to be change or else it’ll become a brand, and if it becomes a brand then its commerce not art”. Even when facing difficulties when selling his art, he confirms that persistence is key since after all, “we are paintings ourselves in the end”

Adel expresses his love for Vienna, its culture & its relations “It resembles a lot El Sham” when he left it for a while he found himself missing it “The Austrians are lovely people”. But for future plans Adel dreams of settling between Vienna and a Middle Eastern country, preferably his hometown El Sham “A country with sunshine” he says amusingly “here in Vienna the sun was out for 3 days, and I feel bad for not going out. He would ‘’like to become like a migrating bird spending his winters is in the east and his summers in Vienna”.

Through our conversation, Adel makes you feel at ease when speaking to him, throwing a joke here and there and by the end of our talk he admits he himself got a little anxious, not knowing if he expressed himself right through the words he chose, giving you a little insight of his humble inner self.

I inquired about his future projects trying to get a little scoop. There is little talk about him going to exhibit in Miami which is yet to be confirmed. But what is for certain is that he has an art fair taking place in Denver and one that is to occur in Copenhagen and Bahrain.

Translated from Arabic

Photos by Barbara Süss

Lilya Chigara is the project assistant at SAFIR. A Master’s student at Paris Sorbonne Abu Dhabi majoring in Banking & Finance. She is a lover of history and large-scale adventures.

TA’AROF: Developing Artist Capacities in the Midst of SB13

By Safir March 6, 2017 April 10, 2017 Announcements

SAFIR proudly announces the launch of its very first workshop TA’AROF starting March 9-13^th 2017 as part of the Sharjah Art Biennial 2016/2017. TA’AROF will provide a select group of young artists from Syria with a unique opportunity to both develop their capacities and artistic networks by visiting the Sharjah Art Biennial 13 Tamawuj, and attending workshop sessions relating to key aspects of their development and outreach by key curators and artists from the MENA region.

After conducting a survey of artists over the past year, it became apparent that many young artists from the Middle East do not fully grasp the importance of biennials, art centers and artist residencies in the development of their practice, relying mainly instead on the more traditional model of artist to gallery relationship to support their growth.

As such SAFIR’s first workshop TA’AROF aims to provide an initial catalyst to expand the horizons of a selected group of young Syrian artists (aged under 35 ) to experience the full spectrum of the art world through the lectures, interactive tours and key SB13 events, to form a better understanding of the role of biennials.

The workshop lectures will focus on developing key skills, including creating value, refining technique, and communicating ideas. It will be facilitated by a number of prominent artists and art experts, including Hala Khayat, one of the founders of MASSYR and Director of Sales at Christie’s Dubai, Christine Tohme Curator of SAF 13 (TBC), renowned artists Safwan Dahoul and Thaier Helal, and curators Reem Fadda, Tarek Abou El Fetouh and Fawz Kabra.

The interactive tours will aim to introduce the participants to a prominent art event in the region, SB 13 Tamawuj, and will be an opportunity to apply the discussions from Day 1 and reflect on practical examples.

Objectives of the Event:

Develop capacity and skills and see their application in practice.
Introduce the artists to two prominent events.
Sow the seeds of a network of artists and mentors.

Stay tuned for TA’AROF updates on our Facebook page and Instagram (safir.art) and get to know more about the participating artists and key speakers!

Butterflies, Jeepneys and Jellyfish: an Entanglement with Noor Bahjat al-Masri- By Rosy Tahan

By Safir June 5, 2016 June 7, 2016 Interviews

For Noor Bahjat al Masri, pilot artist for SAFIR’s Artist Program, 2016 looks like a good year. Noor has just completed a residency in Manila’s Galerie Stephanie, an experience that enabled her to explore new ideas – as well as the vibrant culture of the Philippines. Urban Manila was a little too hectic, she smiles. “I lived on the 20^th floor, and you and I would have struggled to have a conversation over the sounds of traffic if the window were open!” On the other hand, the surrounding islands awed her with their placid beauty. She fondly recalls one island with only four traffic lights and nature like you’ve never seen before, wondering how anyone could choose to live elsewhere. It was during these contemplative solo nature retreats that she was struck by the difference in herself when in nature and when in the city – something that would form the groundwork for her exhibition Which one is your thread? the culmination of her residency at Galerie Stephanie.

I caught up with Noor on Skype, and our conversation was more effective than my customary morning coffee. The young artist brims with infectious energy. Her excitable speech knows no punctuation – at least not commas and full stops. But as a fellow Syrian, the “yanni” and “heke” dotting her sentences are sweetly familiar to me.

We only briefly spoke of what it means to be a “Syrian artist,” for Noor rejects the expectation that Syrian art must necessarily be directly involved with themes of war and conflict. “I want people to see me for who I am, not just as a Syrian who is representative of the entire situation,” she insists. “If you want to do something, don’t tell me you’re sorry. Go do something. I’m okay, don’t worry about me!”

So who is Noor? Beneath the sparkling humor and easy laughter, there is a current of something driving her, something powerful. It is when she speaks of her work that she is the most animated.

Her exhibition in Manila, Which one is your thread? is the result of Noor’s struggle to untangle her thoughts and behaviours from those of others.

“I often find myself doing something, but the intention, the idea, it did not come from me…why am I here? What do I want? I tried connecting all these things, which is how I arrived at the metaphor of the thread.”

Noor visualizes thoughts and ideas as interconnected threads. One of her paintings, Where Do Your Thoughts End? (right), features a girl with a jellyfish perched on top of her head, replacing her brain, which she holds in her hands instead. Out of the displaced brain, real threads dangle down to the ground. Viewers in the gallery can step on them. “She doesn’t want to think, so her thoughts have become worthless,” Noor explains. The “butterfly effect” – that the smallest cause, such as the flapping of a butterfly’s wings, can have largescale events – also influences this search for the origins of our thoughts and behaviours.

Which one is your thread? radiates Noor’s frustration at a perceived complacency in our society, particularly in our unwillingness to question ourselves and our surroundings. She used to leave her paintings untitled, but found that this often intimidated viewers from engaging with the sentiments she communicates. She now titles her paintings with questions, urging viewers to find their own answers within the paintings.

“What I don’t like is when you put up an unnecessarily long explanation next to painting,” she laments. “It’s like you’re assuming the viewer is incapable of receiving ideas unless they are spelled out plainly.”

“I don’t want everything I do to be a reaction to what I am receiving…I want things to come from me.”

Growing agitated, Noor tries to trace the sources of often problematic patterns of thought, which she attributes to a “system” that floods our environments with trivialities as a distraction from the real issues. “We care about things that don’t matter that much in the big picture!”

This big picture that she paints for me is bleak, involving war, smugglers and refugees. It’s not hard to see where it comes from, and I wondered, was it was harder for her to forget the Syria crisis than she claimed? “No, it’s very easy!” she exclaims, with a hint of irony. “All you have to do is look in the mirror and tell yourself, ‘I’m very ugly, I need to fix my nose, I need to fix my teeth, become more beautiful’ and even when I become more beautiful it’s never enough.” But away from the influences of urban life, Noor finds that her thoughts and priorities are completely different – another reason to love the natural islands of the Philippines.

Don’t think of her as someone who would prefer to live in isolation, though. Despite her appreciation for nature and its placidity, Noor vehemently believes that “everyone needs a struggle…if you don’t have something prickling you, you won’t have the satisfaction of resolving something. If you’re not interacting with society you may as well not be there.” Often it is these clashes with society that produce meaningful work. Her painting, Where Does Life Take You? is directly influenced by the stark divide between the upper and lower classes in Manila. On the left of the canvas is a dining room in an opulent household, and on the right there is the interior of a crowded jeepney, a mode of public transport commonly used in the Philippines. A woman is seated in the center, present in both scenes, connecting them. She faces away from the wealth as the jeepney transports her to another life. The fine line between both scenes suggests a close, parallel coexistence between the two worlds, despite the wide gap between them. “I knew I had to work on [this] painting because it was something I noticed a lot, and it really moved me.”

With her ability to extract the threads inside her head and tie them to tangible objects in our world, Noor promises to produce works of art that are at once deeply personal and universally relatable. Will she continue to work with these ideas developed in the Philippines? Or does she think she has worked them to the limit? “If it’s still there, it’ll come out,” she laughs. “That’s what my art is for. Even if it’s something insignificant and silly, if I’m thinking about it, it will come out.” And I, for one, can’t wait to see it when it does.