An unusual series of paintings.
Abdullah al-Omari has created a series of paintings in which the heads of state are depicted as displaced from his country as “displaced persons.” The artist himself had in 2011 to seek asylum in Belgium, once in Syria, the war began.
In working on this project, Abdullah al-Omari spent the last 19 months. In his series of “Vulnerability” leaders of the several States is shown at the moment when they took away all their power and charisma, in this moment of despair…
“The personal stories of thousands of refugees few interesting… So I realized the need to send a message to those leaders who in one way or another responsible for the movement of the Syrians. Maybe when you look at these paintings they will feel what it’s like to be completely helpless.”
“I decided to deprive them of all power not in order to gratify their vanity, but to return them to a fraction of humanity and also give a feel to what depth can be reached by the vulnerability and helplessness,” wrote Omari in the announcement of his exhibition.
“The Donald”, 2016
“Vlad”, 2014
“Bashar, The Mediterranean”
“Boat” 2017
“Turn,” 2016
Barak, 2015
“Yarmuk” (a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus), 2016
“At first I was driven by anger after all he went through while fleeing from their homeland, like thousands of other Syrians… But it was replaced by a vivid desire to “disarm” political characters and to portray them in a completely different role.”
“Abdul-Fattah” (the Egyptian President), 2016
“Erdogan”, 2014
“Angel” 2015
Exhibition of works by Abdullah al-Omari opened at Ayyam gallery in Dubai until July 6.
© 2017, paradox. All rights reserved.