Mayar Obeido (b. 1995) is an artist from Syria. A graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Damascus, he works in painting, drawing, and sculpture, moving freely between media while producing a focused body of work. In Obeido’s most recent works, anonymous human figures and how they relate to their surroundings, which include the inanimate objects that occupy these spaces, become meditative reflections on the mundane.
In his mixed-media paintings, composed of acrylic, charcoal, and collage, Obeido incorporates clippings from Arab newspapers, a reference to the current events that inevitably impact inner worlds. His anguished figures appear to melt into the background, as though overcome by the details of these texts or perhaps internalizing the news. In other works, an apple becomes a point of reflection, a symbol of sustenance that slowly takes on anthropomorphic characteristics in response to the emotional torrents that sweep over his figures. Obeido’s drawings are distinctively expressive as he combines figuration and abstraction, a dynamism in draftsmanship that informs his paintings, while his sculptures animate the objects shown in larger works. This multimedia investigation provides the viewer with greater insight into his subject matter, creating an immersive experience.
Obeido has participated in solo and collective exhibitions at art spaces and galleries in his native Syria, in addition to exhibitions in the United Arab Emirates.
Mayar Obeido lives and works in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.