'Om Kalthoum' by Asaad Arabi > @ayyamgallery #Jeddah

Wednesday, 24 April at 7pm
Ayyam Gallery, Jeddah

Ayyam Gallery Jeddah is pleased to invite you to the opening of 'Om Kalthoum', a solo exhibition of Syrian artist Asaad Arabi on Wednesday, 24 April at 7pm.

Following on from his previous series of work 'Nostalgia', shown at Ayyam Gallery DIFC, Dubai in 2011, for his exhibition at Ayyam Gallery Jeddah the artist revisits the subject of legendary Egyptian singer, Om Kalthoum. Arabi paints expressive portraits of her that both serve as a tribute to her talent and investigate the wider relationship between music and painting. Throughout his gestural work, he pays close attention to colour: bold strokes of vivid colour call to mind a conductor leading his orchestra through a powerful symphony, or a composer marking notes on a score.

Rather than painting static and posed portraits of Kalthoum, he captures her mid-performance – head tilted back and arms held aloft, commanding the audience. In doing so, he invites the viewer to become part of the audience and experience a collective nostalgia for this much-loved singer. Arabi has spoken of his fascination with Kalthoum’s ability to transcend the barriers of class and religion in Middle Eastern society, likening her to a religious leader to whose music people turn for ‘spiritual nourishment’.

Born in Damascus in 1941, Asaad Arabi lives and works in Paris. He holds a PhD in Aesthetics from the Sorbonne University and his work on aesthetic theory has been widely published in both French and Arabic. Selected solo exhibitions include Ayyam Gallery DIFC, Dubai (2011); Ayyam Gallery Beirut (2010); Ayyam Gallery Damascus (2009); Cairo Biennial (2004); Sircov Gallery, Brest, France (2003); Kuwait Museum (2003). His works are housed in museum collections including Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris; Barcelona Contemporary Museum of Art; The National Museum, New Dehli; South Korea’s Museum in Seoul; and LACMA, Los Angeles.

Preview: 24 April 2013, 7pm

Exhibition Dates: 24 April – 30 May 2013

Location: Bougainvillea Center Jeddah, Third Floor, King's Road, Al-Shat'ta

District, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia