Summer and Colour The works of 16 Palestinian artists will be the object of an exhibition titled "Visit Palestine: A Voyage through Contemporary Art". On display at 4 Walls, the paintings offer an exuberant palette of colours and an up-lifting array of images of rare mastery. The heavy battery of names of these well-known artists is enough to give an idea of the calibre of their paintings. On canvas, wood, paper or metal, in oil or mixed media, collage or installation, the works are as varied as they are remarkable. Surprising is the painters' optimistic outlook, obvious in their choice of colours and themes. Surprising, because being exponents of their people, one probably expected to see more sombre and sad representations; the mostly ebullient images however, are clear proof of the universality of their art and, maybe, of the eternal hope that things will get better. An ingenious triptych is offered by Nasser Soumi on square wooden pieces painted dark blue. A tiny bottle, a stone and three more bottles adorn the three pieces, creating a dainty, original attraction. Khaled Hourani's brilliant orange background supports a stenciled floral representation and calligraphy or, in another painting, a hint at the map of Palestine surrounded by newspaper cuttings is projected on the grayish white backdrop. Samir Salameh's abstract patches of bright red, blue, yellow, gold, green purple and orange are lively and optimistic. Tayseer Barakat uses two old wooden panes (some trapezoidal doors) to create amazing art. Carved to create raised squares, the panes preserve the original black colour around the edges. On the squares, frieze-like, is stamped a woman's bust or symbols. Like a deconstructed pyramid, the works are mysterious and captivating. In other instances, his paper on cardboard looks like lithographs, the sober colours of the buildings making them look like old pictures. On big metal sheets, Suleiman Mansour paints stylized buildings or a sad little girl in a velvety red dress, beautifully mixing colour with rusty metal, creating a sepia-tone image, again, like that of an aged photograph. Nabil Anani's maquette-like works are superimposed cardboard layers, minimalist representations of a house or, on a wider plane, of our planet and the sky. The beige and black choice of colour emphasises the simplicity and enhances the image. Simple is definitely not less in the case of this artist. Khalil Rayyan's oils on canvas are paintings of lush fields in all hues of green, vast expanses of fertile land, a city on a hill, his country of rich fields and trees, his Palestine . Ahmad Kan'an's works are arresting. You will definitely want to take a second look and more. Mirror images of deer, butterflies or geometrical patterns are repeated over and over, creating huge kaleidoscopes like the ones that used to enchant our childhood. Almost tempted to shake them to change their shapes, you may wait for the canvas to do that by itself and recreate the wonder of those early days when magic was real. Hani Zu'rob's abstract compositions or Gauguin style human bodies are masterfully executed in strong, bold colours. Suleiman Mansour's painstaking recreating of Palestinian embroidery couldn't have been done without love for his ancestors' tradition. Vera Tamari's women in black are amazing compositions of a purity of design and rendition that can truly belong to the gifted only and Kamal Boullata's recognizable squares are stylized representations that are the mark of a master. Also on display will be the works of Ibrahim Noubani, Asad 'Azzi, Rana Bishara and Laila Shawwa. It is never fair to talk only about some in a group exhibition, especially when the overall talent is overwhelming and the feeling it elicits if that of happy, exuberant optimism. The exhibition has been planned for over a year now, and was sponsored by Palestine Telecommunications Company (Pal-Tel). It will showcase over 40 works that viewers will have the chance to judge for themselves. Starting on May 23, it will end June 29. One month of summer and colour. |