Mohannad Orabi
Biography
Mohannad Orabi's whimsical self portraits exemplify what has made Syrian art so successful over the last sixty years. Born in Damascus in 1977, Orabi graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in 2000. Noteworthy among a dynamic generation of talented Syrian artists, he has exhibited frequently at home and abroad in venues across the region, and has participated in collective shows and festivals in North America, Europe and Asia, including Art Palm Beach, Miami International Art Fair, SCOPE Art Fair (Basel). In China, solo shows at both The International Gallery Expo (CIGE) and Art Hong Kong in 2009, wowed international spectators.
Recently his canvases were highlighted in solo exhibitions at Ayyam Damascus and Dubai and were part of the gallery's popular exhibition "Shabab Uprising," which offered a groundbreaking showcase of Syria's new wave of contemporary painting. His work is housed in private collections across the globe.
The emerging artist is as much an individual as he is a continuation of global art trends, capturing the underlining dichotomy of Arab society while striving to reach new frontiers in aesthetic representation. With highly stylized characters that emanate with a particular carefree innocence, his portraits are at once reflective of his fascination with one's childhood experiences as they are investigations into the human spirit. Reproducing variations on robust male and female figures, Orabi's compositions present his subjects in different scenarios, each one displaying variations on human emotions and interactions. Whether adorned in traditional Syrian garb or in contemporary clothing, his protagonists reflect the continued sense of joie de vivre that has defined modern Arab culture. Despite what underlining tension might exist between his subjects and the stark background of his compositions—often executed in flat color fields that stand as glaring contradictions to his lighthearted figures, which are rendered with bold patterns and sporadic lines— the artist strives to create a harmonious balance between their oversized bodies and their surroundings. In essence, the exaggerated proportions of their features (bulky heads, hollowed almond-shaped eyes and full figures) accentuate their larger-than-life presence, one that seems to float above the weighty concerns of the world.
Artist Press
I Know That Face, Timeout Dubai October 1, 2009Download PDF (1.3 MB)
Struggle for Life May 2008
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Welcome to my World May 2008
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Syria's New Art Find, Forward Magazine May 2008
Download PDF (517 K)
Artist Exhibitions
Mohannad Orabi Solo Show, Ayyam Gallery, Dubai 1 Oct - 24 , 2009View Exhibition
Art Hong Kong 14 May - 17 , 2009
View Exhibition
Shabab Uprising 19 Feb - 19 Apr, 2009
View Exhibition
Mohannad Orabi Solo Exhibition 24 May - 5 Jun, 2008
View Exhibition
Ayyam Summer Festival 2007 9 Jun - 13 Sep, 2007
View Exhibition
Artist Publications
Mohannad OrabiView Publication
Selected Works
MO110 Mohannad ORABI 'Self Portrait' 150 X 120 cm. Mixed Media on Canvas 2010 LOCATION: DAMASCUS
MO115 Mohannad ORABI 'Self Portrait' 120 X 150 cm. Mixed Media on Canvas 2010 LOCATION: DAMASCUS
MO46 Mohannad ORABI 'Self Portrait' 180 X 180 Mixed Media on Canvas 2008 LOCATION: DAMASCUS
MO83 Mohannad ORABI 'Self Portrait' 120 X 120 cm. Mixed Media on Canvas 2009 LOCATION: DUBAI
MO91 Mohannad ORABI 'Self Portrait' 150 X 150 cm. Mixed Media on Canvas 2009 LOCATION: DUBAI
MO74 Mohannad ORABI 'Self Portrait' 180 X 180 cm. Mixed Media on Canvas 2008 LOCATION: DUBAI