This past May at the London Global Art Fair, one of the largest exhibitions of Arab talents was displayed. Amman’s eclectic Wadi Finan Art Gallery was amongst the galleries participating, showcasing a neatly curated series of Arab talents.
The Gallery presented some of the works by renowned Lebanese artist Annie Kurkdijian, Syrian artists Besher Koushaji and Semaan Khawam and Jordanian artist Fadi Daoud.
Annie Kurkdijian, whose pieces are as intriguing as they are provocative, currently lives and works in Beirut. During the tumultuous Lebanese Civil War, Annie was studying fine arts and psychology at the Lebanese University, in addition to theology at St. Joseph’s University. Working primarily in acrylic, Annie’s almost surrealistic portraits and paintings, which capture unique characters in hues of lime, cream, gold and mandarin, invite the viewer to question their meanings.
Painter, designer, graffiti artist, poet and writer, Syrian Semaan Khawam is one multifarious talent. Also living and working in Beirut, he frequently holds exhibitions of his paintings and his poetry is regularly featured in Arab and international newspapers. Besher, like Fadi, is settled currently in Jordan and creates layered, textural work that emits the vivid beauty of Syria, intertwining its’ history and current state. Fadi, who studed fine arts at the Jordan University, currently resides in Florence, Italy. His work, inspired by Sufism, Arabic typography and poetry and the Byzantine Empire, has left a unique impression on the art world.
For more information: Visit Wadi Finan Gallery’s official site, and read more about all the artists on their own Facebook pages or websites.
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