Asaad Arabi and Othman Moussa: Visual Dialogue

Othman Moussa, one of the applicants to "The First Ayyam Prize for Emerging Syrian Artists" in 2006, and arguably the most impressive Hyperrealistic young artists in Syria, will be showcasing a collection of his Still Life paintings alongside one of the Arab world's most respected artists and art critics, Asaad Arabi. Moussa's works can be classified as poetic realism. His objects are depicted from the Middle East: Iron and Clay pots, a pestle, etc. The furniture seems to have vanished and the background is deliberately painted in neutral colors in order to highlight the composition. After his successful Old Damascus series, where Arabi was bringing the typical old Damascene house back to life, his new Still Life collection is all about what we find in the interior of those houses. According to Arabi, the subject of "Still Life" in the painting arouses 'perplexity', particularly to those who are searching for meaning, significance, and formal narration rather than the construction and characteristics of performance.