Tony Khawam
The Burden of Damascus
2019

About the Item

This painting is one of ‘Chaos series inspired by the history of Damascus which is a muse and inspiration for artists and writers including Mark Twain famous quote “We shall remember… Damascus, the ‘Pearl of the East,’ the pride of Syria, the fabled garden of Eden, the home of princes and genii of the Arabian Nights, the oldest metropolis on Earth, the one city in all the world that has kept its name and held its place and looked serenely on while the Kingdoms and Empires of four thousand years have risen to life, enjoyed their little season of pride and pomp, and then vanished and been forgotten.” Khawam’s work explores social and heritage structures that objectify marginalized communities and the bodies of vulnerable populations especially the immigrants by examining the cross-cultural dynamic in our communities for better cultural bridge building and understanding. Just as essential to his work is a social engagement practice through which he reframes objectifying societal structures by bringing contemporary arts and ideas into different multicultural communities through arts and cultural institutions. Khawam’s work is characterized by its layered formal, material, and conceptual complexity of a grid like forms, colors and gestures in a more experimental, spontaneous working process. The art is sketched from various references including his photography and media images to create a composition. The second half of the process is the deconstruction of forms in a semi-abstract manner with gestural brushstrokes and the use of materials that intensify our visual experience. Certificate of authenticity will be sent out by email after the transaction is settled for acquiring the painting.

Creator:

Tony Khawam (1959, American)

Creation Year:

2019

Dimensions:

Height: 35 in (88.9 cm)Width: 35 in (88.9 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)

Medium:

Acrylic

Movement & Style:

Neo-Expressionist

Period:

2010-