Thaier Helal
Biography
Born in Syria in 1967, distinguished artist Thaier Helal has become a significant member of the Arab and Gulf Art scene since moving to the United Arab Emirates in the 1990s. A senior faculty member of the University of Sharjah, Fine Arts College, he has participated in prominent exhibitions and events throughout the region, including the Sharjah, Alexandria and Tehran Biennials and Christie's and Bonhams auctions.
A graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts in Damascus, Helal has emerged as a well-known figure of contemporary Syrian art with a unique approach to painting that remains at the cutting-edge of Arab visual culture. This has been confirmed by the countless honors bestowed upon him, such as the Al Burda International Award from the Emirati Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development (2008), the Grand Gold Award at the Tehran International Biennial (2005), the Award for Painting at the Sharjah International Biennial (1997) and the Distinguished Works Award at the 15th General Exhibition of the UAE Fine Arts Association (1996). Yet Helal's long exhibition history is not limited to the Middle East, as he has been featured in international art fairs, biennials and exhibitions throughout Asia and Europe.
Helal's large mixed media canvases demonstrate the evolution of an artistic style that is amidst a perpetual state of evolution. Inspired by the world around him, including the physical and psychic aspects of society and culture, his abstract paintings utilize experiments in palette, texture, and medium to draw in the viewer and to trigger the senses. Communicating movement and energy through explosions of color, the meticulous division of space and the layering of surface, his compositions are marked by a profound expressionism and spontaneity that alludes to the internal and the sublime.
Artist Press
Artistic Intuition "The Harmony of Thaier Helal", Canvas Magazine May 2008Download PDF (387 K)
Thaier HELAL, "A Quest for Sinergy" CANVAS MAGAZINE December 2006
Download PDF (666 K)
Artist Exhibitions
Thaier Helal - Liberated Spatiality, Ayyam Gallery, Damascus 6 Mar - 20 , 2010View Exhibition
Basel (SCOPE) 8 Jun - 14 , 2009
View Exhibition
Shabab Uprising 19 Feb - 19 Apr, 2009
View Exhibition
Selected Works
TH13 Thaier HELAL 'Paradise Gate' 220 X 420 cm. Acrylic & Mixed Media on Canvas 2008. LOCATION: BEIRUT
TH7 Thaier HELAL 'Untitled' 140 X 140 cm. Mixed Media on Canvas 2007. LOCATION: BEIRUT
TH9 Thaier HELAL 'Untitled' 140 X 140 cm. Mixed Media on Canvas 2007. LOCATION: BEIRUT
TH38 Thaier HELAL Untitled 140 X 140 cm. Mixed Media on Canvas 2008 LOCATION: DUBAI
TH32 Thaier HELAL "A Glance from Above" 140 X 140 cm. Mixed Media on Canvas 2009 LOCATION: DUBAI