Mouteea Murad

'Through the Looking Glass II'

10 November - 31 December, 2011

Press Release

Vernissage: Thursday, November 10 at 7pm
Exhibition Dates: November 10 – December 31, 10am to 8pm

On Thursday November 10, Ayyam Gallery Beirut will proudly present “Through The Looking Glass II” an exhibition highlighting the most recent work of Syrian artist Mouteea Murad. Marking the painter’s first solo exhibition in Beirut, this upcoming event will showcase a new take on the complex geometric abstractions for which he has become known over the past few years.

In 2009, Murad began successively labeling his canvases with the word “Trial,” an indication of a continuous path of experimentation. Deeply engaged with the multifarious tradition of Islamic art, he approaches his work with a profound sense of spirituality and an acute understanding of its aesthetic values. Working from this foundation, he proceeds with contemporary experiments, identifying then adding to the modern breakthroughs that defined the formation of abstract art movements throughout the twentieth century. Joining these seemingly disparate schools of art in a single composition, Murad elucidates how the origins of international abstraction lie within the essential principles of Islamic art.

Resulting in new forms and techniques altogether, Murad reconfigures arabesques with constructivist visions and minimalist divisions, juxtaposing order and chaos as illuminated shapes and bold lines define multidimensional space. Utilizing cutting-edge artistic techniques, he explores the core facet of this tradition by creating compositions that suggest a sublime presence in the world around us so that wonder, beauty and complexity are depicted as stemming from the same divine source.
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Mouteea Murad will be present on the opening day and during the first week of the exhibition. For interview with the artist or any further details, please contact us at +961 1 374450 or email us: beirut@ayyamgallery.com
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Born in Homs, Syria in 1977, Mouteea Murad is a rising young artist whose recent explorations into abstraction have set him apart within the contemporary Syrian art scene. A graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts, he has recently carved out a significant place for himself amongst the region’s leading abstract painters, Murad is becoming a favorite among international art lovers with his paintings housed in collections in Lebanon, Jordan, France, Switzerland, the US, China and “the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts”.
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Since its founding in 2006, Ayyam Gallery has become one of the Middle East’s leading contemporary art spaces. With a selection of cutting-edge painting, sculpture and photography that represents some of the Arab world’s most exciting talent, the gallery has sought to promote the region's dynamic cultural scene at home and abroad. For more information visit www.ayyamgallery.com

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Exhibition Press

The Daily Star, A Geometry of Color and Dimension November 22, 2011
By Chirine Lahoud
Download PDF (122 K)

Aishti Magazine, Color, Energy and Emotion - Mouteea Murad Channels Gauguin, Kandinsky, Klee and Pollock for his Singular Artworks Oct. / Nov. 2011 Issue
By Kaelen Wilson-Goldie
Download PDF (195 K)