Antonio Asis

Vibrations bandes rouges et bleues

2010

Since the 1940s, the Egyptian painter Hamed Abdalla is not only a visionary pioneer of modern art for the global south and Arab countries; he is also one of the first of his generation to envision painting as political art and activism. The current display focuses on a specific time of defeat and disillusion for a whole generation of Arab artists and intellectuals, in the aftermath of the “Six Days War” led by Israel and their allies (a war title which a lot of Arab activists consider propagandist, preferring to call it “The Defeat of 1967” or simply the “June 1967 War”). This persistent ideological wound became the symbol of failed dreams for the “Arab Nation” or Arab states alliances – including the short but emblematic Egyptian-Syrian achievement of the United Arab Republic. Another major failure, to which Abdalla will respond through the paintings on display here, is the Egyptian President Anwar Sadat program of “opening up” (Infitah) the Egyptian economy and give way to political compromise with the US and Israel – Abdalla assimilating this period to a vast state of Coma for all Arab people and territories. In a collective statement by a group of Egyptian artists exiled in Paris (including Abdalla), published in the Egyptian local journal Al-Dustur, on 5 December 1977, one can read: “This disaster is far greater than the defeat of June 1967. Rather, it approaches the scale of the disaster that took place in 1948 (…) To destroy the Arab people’s noble three decades-long struggle against imperialism and Zionism (…) Sadat is exploiting the stifling economic crisis that Egypt is currently facing (…) We must resist this betrayal of our nation or be crushed under the wheels of global imperialism for generations to come.” The works presented here reflect Abdalla’s transformation of the Hurrufiyyah aesthetics, to achieve his own way of “Arab Letterism”. It claims for a deeply experimental, non-decorative, politically committed and non-commercial use of the Arabic letter...

Born to an Italian family in 1915 in La Plata, a province of Buenos Aires, Luis Tomasello's first work experience was with his father, a bricklayer, carpenter, and painter. As a teenager, he began his artistic studies by taking evening drawing classes before joining the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes Prilidiano Pueyrredón in Buenos Aires from 1932 to 1938. Two years later, he enrolled at the Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes Ernesto de la Cárcova, where he studied until 1944. In the mid-1940s, young artists in Buenos Aires were challenging representational traditions in art; Tomasello met painters Emilio...

Antonio Asis was born in 1932 in Buenos Airs, Argentina. He studied at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes, from where he obtained his doctorate degree in 1950. In 1956, he travel...

Mobile reliefs with moving patterns operated by motors that alter space-colour ratios, initially in black and white and later colour. Very slowly, the parts changed, were separated a...

Since the 1940s, the Egyptian painter Hamed Abdalla is not only a visionary pioneer of modern art for the global south and Arab countries; he is also one of the first of his generati...

B. Yaghi is a Lebanese contemporary artist born in 1984. Having lived in several countries, B. Yaghi soaked up the rich cultures of Beirut, London, Miami and Dubai, and was immersed ...

Heavy textures and lush brushstrokes create expressive, visual movement in this contemporary abstract painting. Emphasis is put on a raised pattern built up using a blend of custom n...

Landscape mixed media on canvas 50x70 cm 2020 Marilina Marchica was born in Agrigento, where she lives and works, In 2008 she graduated in Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in ...

Dan Christensen (1942-2007) is recognized as a leader in American experimental abstraction. After completing his BFA at the Kansas City Art Institute in 1964, he moved to New York C...

I am fascinated by the individual’s relationship within society. It is in this context that I exist. Along the beaten path, I allow myself to observe from a multitude of vantage points; towards the recent past or a future yet to occur. This is what inspires me- the creative moment yet to happen, laden with limitless possibilities. When I take a look at the past, I identify social and personal nuances and their direct influence on my work, and then with excitement look for what comes next. In this process I take distance from myself and view with a critical eye. Ever evolving, I search for more. I am neither a painter nor sculptor, much less a photographer or director, but I am a little bit of everything. I don’t feel bound to one specialized art form, and this allows me to navigate free and unencumbered by norms and expectations. My goal is not to achieve perfection in any one area, but rather to explore all disciplines- joyfully challenging myself, provoking and exploring beyond any pre-conceived limits. In my work I try to establish a connection between my reality and the reality of those who dedicate a few minutes of observation. I’m constantly searching for the vanishing point that gives diverse expression to my artistic production. This is the creative fuel that drives me ever forward. Paulo Canilhas...

Original work of the artist RUZ.. framed Acrylic on paper Perfect state While contemplating the painting of Ruz, we are inclined to talk about real ‘psychodrama’, in the same sense ...

Guinovart. Josep Guinovart i Bertran (Barcelona 1927-2007) was a painter, draftsman and engraver from Catalonia, Spain. After studying at the School of the Lonja and the Promotion ...