Ayyam Gallery
Skip to main content
  • Menu
  • Artists
  • Exhibitions
  • Art Fairs
  • News
  • Selected Press
  • Publications
  • Contact
Cart
0 items $
Checkout

Item added to cart

View cart & checkout
Continue shopping
Menu
  • Current and Forthcoming
  • Past

Ammar Al Beik: Oil Leaks

Past exhibition
23 April - 31 May 2011
  • Works
  • Overview
  • Press release
Oil Leaks - And the Cooper Stumbled, 2011 Mixed Media 160 x 60 x 95 cm
Oil Leaks - And the Cooper Stumbled, 2011
Mixed Media
160 x 60 x 95 cm
View works
Share
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Email

Ayyam Gallery Damascus will proudly unveil Oil Leaks, a series of new installations by the artist and filmmaker Ammar Al Beik. Coinciding with Nassouh Zaghlouleh’s Trance, which will be on display in an opposite section of the gallery,  Oil Leaks, is comprised of six works, Maradona Vs Bush, Demopublicans, No War for Oil, Trickyleaks, Awaiting for Grendizer, And the Cooper Stumbled.

 

At a time when the US has expanded its military operations to Libya, Al Beik examines some of the events that have defined American intervention in the Arab world over the past decade with some of his most overtly political art to date. Elucidating the geopolitical agendas that have fueled these interventions, mainly the issue of who controls the world’s largest oil reserves, Al Beik presents unyielding commentary on the current state of global politics.

 

These large installations incorporate a number of elements, from found objects to media. In Maradona Vs Bush, an animated film of George Bush in a duel with leftist-leaning Argentinean soccer star Maradona is surrounded by notes from the former’s recently issued diaries (specifically the section on his war on Iraq), a number of pictures of American car license plates, and a fuel pump whose spout turns into a symbol of a startling penis.

 

 In the third work, the artist shreds alleged “Wikileaks” documents, placing them between the red stripes of the American flag, while a circular labyrinth replaces its stars. In Demopublicans, No War for Oil dozens of gas spouts move automatically as they abruptly shootout towards the viewer. Of these charged works, which were produced while taking care of his newborn daughter, the artist explains, “Spending five months inside the house led to this installation, as a reflection of political news, which is sometimes driven by interests more than reality, and the tension that comes with it. Through conceptual art, I am taking a stand from all that is happening in the region.”

 

Born in Damascus, Syria in 1972, Ammar Al Beik has been exhibiting since mid 1990s, at a time when he simultaneously began a prolific career in filmmaking. Having participated in screenings worldwide since 1999, his films have been featured in such prestigious film festivals as the Venice and San Paulo International Film Festivals. Never abandoning his original interest, he has continued to work in photography (and recently in conceptual art). His work has been featured in venues throughout the Middle East, Europe and the US. Since joining Ayyam gallery in 2007, Al Beik has gained recognition through acclaimed solo shows, notable group exhibitions, and the Alexandria Biennale and “SCOPE Art Fair (Basel).”

Download Press Release

Related artist

  • Ammar Al-Beik

    Ammar Al-Beik

Share
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Email
Back to Past exhibitions
Manage cookies
Copyright © Ayyam Gallery
Site by Artlogic
Facebook, opens in a new tab.
Instagram, opens in a new tab.
Artsy, opens in a new tab.
Join the mailing list
Send an email
Ocula, opens in a new tab.

This website uses cookies
This site uses cookies to help make it more useful to you. Please contact us to find out more about our Cookie Policy.

Manage cookies
Accept

Cookie preferences

Check the boxes for the cookie categories you allow our site to use

Cookie options
Required for the website to function and cannot be disabled.
Improve your experience on the website by storing choices you make about how it should function.
Allow us to collect anonymous usage data in order to improve the experience on our website.
Allow us to identify our visitors so that we can offer personalised, targeted marketing.
Save preferences
Close

Join our mailing list

Signup

* denotes required fields

We will process the personal data you have supplied in accordance with our privacy policy (available on request). You can unsubscribe or change your preferences at any time by clicking the link in our emails.