Thaier Helal: Landmarks II

9 January - 4 March 2017

Ayyam Gallery Dubai (11, Alserkal Avenue) is pleased to present Landmarks II, the solo exhibition of abstract painter Thaier Helal.

 

Landmarks II features recent paintings that build on the concepts and forms of Helal’s Mountain and River series, which were shown at Ayyam Gallery Dubai (DIFC) in 2014. With his latest body of work, the Sharjah-based artist expands his approach to painting by further experimenting with different media in an attempt to recreate the physical attributes of natural settings such as mountains, deserts, rivers, and lakes. 

 

Although inspired by landforms like the Assi river, Helal’s aim is for the viewer to recognise each site according to their past experiences. His new paintings are sculptural and appeal to the senses with added volume and dimension, providing tactile references to these environments. The coarse surfaces of the artist’s works are created with organic and synthetic materials such as sand and glue, and describe layers of sediment that accumulate over time. The gestural brushstrokes of his previous works have been substituted for three-dimensional formations that appear to travel across the canvas like waves or dunes.