Seven figures are positioned solemnly before us. Two are seen in profile, three bow down their heads, and the last two are in a frontal position but with their eyes closed. They could be men or women, but their subtle breasts and elongated figures render them immediately akin to the female form. They seem to move but within what appears to be water and numerous floating little boats. Unlike Syrian artist Safwan Dahoul’s previous works, there is no pitch-black colour in these portrayals. Shades of grey are juxtaposed with pure white—creating lightness similar to the bright rays of sun on a sunny day evoking feelings of warmth and optimism. We are in the artist’s studio in Alserkal Avenue and this painterly vision drowns out the cacophony of Dubai. There’s a purgatorial feel to this unfinished work, one of several that will be exhibited in the artist’s upcoming Still Dreaming exhibition at Ayyam Gallery in Alserkal Avenue. While certainly left open to interpretation, despite the increased violence in Safwan’s home country of Syria, this depiction makes us think of hope.
Safwan Dahoul, Dream 108, 2015, Acrylic on canvas, 180 x 200 cm
Syrian artist Safwan Dahoul’s dream-like canvases are at once mysterious and hauntingly alluring, and his latest works reveal the breathtaking lightness of their new being.
