From March 6 till March 20, 2010 Ayyam Gallery, Damascus will proudly present the solo exhibition of established Syrian painter Thaier Helal. Known for large mixed media canvases that transform the tangible (and intangible) into abstract compositions exploring color and texture, the artist will present a new body of work that delves further into the energy, movement and rhythm of people, places, space and time.
Much of the inspiration for his latest series stems from the vigor of collective action or the gathering of crowds, as it appears in political protests and marches or religious ceremonies and festivals. Departures from his earlier works, which were divided into grids of square compartments that functioned as nuclei of brushwork and toyed with the outcomes of repeated forms, these new canvases are arranged with lines and markings that are liberated from spatial bounds. Planes overlap and intersect dramatically while paint drips freely and various mediums are combined to add a sense of depth and dimension. Reproducing the power of these assemblies, the artist uses a bright palette with uninhibited strokes, methodically working the canvas with materials until it appears as rugged terrain. For the artist, “These may be elements of plant, animal or human or imaginary or abstract, which vary from panel to panel and from time to time, both in form and meaning.” Like the larger bodies that appear from these gatherings, be it in an organized fashion or amidst utter chaos, his compositions speak of the kinetic forces behind nature and life, emphasizing their physical and psychic impact on the senses and translating them with artistic prowess.
