Fann À Porter is pleased to announce our participation at the fifth edition of Art Cairo, taking place at the Grand Egyptian Museum from 2 - 6 February. Presenting works by Arda Aslanian, Ahmad Kasha, Rabee Kiwan, and Majd Kurdieh, the booth proposes a dialogue between each of the artists’ works as they explore themes of boundaries, migration, and the human condition.
Arda Aslanian (b.1981, Jordan) is an Armenian-Jordian architect turned artist whose works depict meticulous details and figuration. Aslanian’s compositions are a nod to the artist’s thorough understanding of geometric abstraction. Though, the works steadfastly remain within her investigation of the behavioral unwritten rules of beliefs, attitudes and influences in social groups or cultures. The artist’s Drapes series represent the symbolic boundaries between the inner and the outer, the self and the other.
Ahmad Kasha’s (b. 1997, Syria) work, The Starfish, is integral to his pivot from expressionism to abstraction. The selection of works is a culmination of the artist’s practice. While his older works are embedded with a raw and vivid display of emotion, spark a visceral experience in the viewer, as labored brushwork and a bold palette describe these moments of vulnerability and large-scale violence, his new series form compositions that are filled to the brim with symbolic gestures and references to art history, philosophy, and mythology. While the forms have been abstracted, fleeting moments and deliberate, nuanced color choices take over the compositions.
Rabee Kiwan’s (b.1984, Syria) works continue the artist’s exploration of the myriad emotions a human face expresses. Kiwan’s inherent technique is ever-present in these works, where the artist masterfully presents the fusion of external influences and internal memory, giving life to the canvas through his signature visceral brushstrokes and material application. The faces are captured in fleeting moments of raw emotion, and encapsulate the essence of existence, inviting introspection into existential quandaries while evoking an array of sentiments.
Majd Kurdieh (b. 1985, Syria) continues his Fasaeen narrative in his new works. The artist’s whimsical approach to the ever-present political situations in the Middle East offers a strong moral and positive reinforcement that the artist projects into the world. Incorporating poetry, references to art history as well as our collective history, and strong story-telling techniques, Kurdieh’s Fasoon and Fasooneh narrate the tale that could apply to any viewer, leaving room for personal interpretation.
