Ayyam Gallery - Syria
In November 2006, Ayyam Gallery opened its doors to Damascus. Its main aim was to promote the best in Syrian Modern and Contemporary art to the world by representing some of the country’s top established and emerging artists.
Now nearly two years on, Ayyam Gallery is opening its doors to Dubai.
Ayyam Gallery Founder, Khaled Samawi started off as a private banker then started applying his talents to changing the face of Syrian Contemporary art. In under two years, what began as a hobby has quickly become one of the middle east’s top art galleries. With an impressive roster of more than 30 Syrian artists, the art scene has taken notice of Ayyam Gallery.
Ayyam Gallery – Dubai
With Dubai’s recent rise as the epicenter of the Middle Eastern art scene, a second gallery in Dubai was a logical next step. “We felt that it was important for us to be located here in the middle of the action. We have been coming to the shows and auctions here since we started the gallery so it was always something we were looking to do when the time was right,”says Hisham Samawi, Khaled’s partner in Dubai.
Until recently, all art from the region was just labeled as “Middle Eastern Art”. That is slowly starting to change, and one can see niches breaking away and developing in their own right such as the Iranian art scene. Ayyam Gallery plan to be at the forefront of defining Syrian Art across the region.
Syrian Artists in Dubai
Syrian Art has always been well received in this part of the world. A lot of Ayyam’s clients that buy regularly from Damascus are from this region. Opening Ayyam Gallery Dubai seemed like the only natural way to move forward. Khaled Samawi is confident that the art will continue to be well received and gain greater recognition here, “There has always been a certain mysticism surrounding Syria and Damascus due to its rich history and political climate. People are always fascinated to see the type of art we sell because it comes from such an interesting place in the world”.
The space
Ayyam Gallery Dubai will cover roughly 750 square meters located near the third interchange in Al Quoz. The gallery will consist of a main gallery with 10 meter high ceiling with a secondary gallery located on a mezzanine floor. There will also be a back gallery that we will open up for special occasions and events. The interior of the gallery will have a series of moveable walls that can be rearranged to create a fluid space. The Samawis’ intention is to make the space a new experience for every show.
The opening show
The first show entitled Contemporary Syria will inaugurate the opening of the gallery. The show will feature around 80 large artworks worth approximately 20,000,000 AED including a masterpiece by Louay Kayyali entitled 'Then What'. It will be an introduction to Ayyam’s long roster of Syrian artists. This is a chance for Dubai clientele to get a better idea of the diversity of Syrian Modern Art through the different mediums on show.
The following artists will be showcased:
Youssef ABDELKE
Abdul-Karim Majdal AL-BEIK
Ammar AL-BEIK
Mouneer AL-SHAARANI
Nihad AL-TURK
Asaad ARABI
Tammam AZZAM
Houssam BALLAN
Naseer CHAURA
Safwan DAHOUL
Youssef DWEIK
Walid EL-MASRI
Mustafa FATHI
Asma FAYOUMI
Samia HALABY
Omar HAMDI
Mahmoud HAMMAD
Thaier HELAL
Adham ISMAIL
Louay KAYYALI
Fateh MOUDARESS
Abdullah MURAD
Mouteea MURAD
Leila NSEIR
Mohannad ORABI
Kais SALMAN
Ghassan SEBAI
Khaled TAKRETI
Fadi YAZIGI
Omran YOUNES
Yaser SAFI
Future plans
In addition to participating in art shows around the world (New York, Basel, Abu Dhabi), Ayyam Gallery will also be a platform for art related events across the region. ”There is a great opportunity in this region for art galleries due to the lack of museums and other event spaces to do some exciting things. We plan on getting involved in various cultural mediums to help further Dubai's cultural development. We have some exciting things in the works.”
