Mayassah AlSader is an Iraqi British Landscape Architect and Artist. She holds a Masters degree in History of Landscape Architecture from UT Austin and currently working with the renowned Vladimir Djurovic Landscape Architecture firm in Lebanon. Despite living in the diaspora, Mayassah stays passionate about the present and past of Iraq and dedicates her art work to depict both.
FROM THE ROUND CITY SERIES, ACRYLICS ON CANVAS, 60x60cm, 2017
This Series is based on the plan of round city of Baghdad (762 CE) blending art, architecture and history on one canvas.

LAND OF BLACK ارض السواد
Iraq was known as the “land of black” due to the density of its greenery and buildings. Years of wars had burned the buildings into skeletons and the greenery into ashes. The heavily fortified walls of the city vanished into footprints opening the way to terror and destruction. Alone the house of power stands above the ruins, controlled by strings from behind the borders, like a marionette.

CITY OF PEACE مدينة السلام
Once upon a time, Baghdad was known as the “city of peace.” Today, in this painting the city says “I will raise all the white flags in the world, just give me some peace.”

FIELD OF CARNATION حقل القرنفل
Present in most Arab gardens, Carnations expresses love and fascination. This painting represents a window for imagination and a slice of a dream of a garden of resurrection.

Master of Arts George Enescu University of Arts of Iași, Romania

Personal Exhibitions from January 2000 to the present day in London, Paris, Chambery, Grenoble, Bucharest, Iași Owner at SC. Piticariu Art&Style; SRL (est. 2000) making Stained Glass, Tiffany Lamps, Glass Fusing and Artistic Mosaic. Has created works for Churches, official buildings and private houses.

Laila is a multi-talented artist with an ever-growing sense of art. She was born in Lebanon, a professional artist since her childhood. She became popular thanks to her diversified paintings (acrylics, oil, pastel, watercolour and ink), she was passionate and discovered her talent at a young age. Her work has been showing in many countries since 1998 She graduated in Fine Arts in Lebanon in 1989. She graduated in Fine Arts USA 2003-2005. A member of the UAE Fine Arts Association and a founder of UAE Fine Arts Movement since the 1980s.

Fifty years with formative arts, practice and intensive development, practical experience with all kinds of paintings: oil colour, watercolour, charcoal, pencil etc. Participated in more than a hundred national and international art exhibitions in many countries. Many of his paintings have been printed as posters, greeting cards and calendars. 2006 Honoured among the avant-garde artists in the 25th Emirates Fine Arts Society Anniversary. 2003 Master of Fine Arts (Hon), Elam School of Fine Arts, The University of Auckland, New Zealand. 1994 Founder of the Wall Group Fine Arts UAE 1980 Founder member of the “Emirates Fine Arts Society” UAE 1974 Member of the “Iraqi Artist Union” Baghdad, Iraq
Collectors
H.H. Al-Sheikh Dr Sultan Al – Qasmy Ruler of Sharjah; Sharjah Art Museum – United Arab Emirates; Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi in UAE; Ajman Emirate – Ruler Palace; Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC); Many Companies, Embassies, Banks, Art Collectors and VIP inside and outside the United Arab Emirates have his works. Thousands of his printed paintings are spread worldwide.

Work of the artist is the embodiment of dreams in the form of vague messages philosophical metaphysical dimension. They use sensual colours and expressions for form a combination of surreal, deconstruction and synthetic artworks.

She experiments with portraits, attempting to revive intense emotions with regards to social problems. Humans throughout their existence developed ways to cope with the real world atrocities, this fact led to a quick embrace of social media as it offered a great alternative to a so-called “perfect world”. The overwhelming setup of that virtual world is gradually leading to humans to a peak of a collective blindness. This loss of the sense of humanity is leading her to hook with the use of organic tools such as painting, as we can see through her deeply emotional portraits. Her work has been showing in many countries since 1998. http://www.talinebalian.com

Born in 1994, Nicolas started to write stage plays at a very young age and direct them with the help of some school friends. He used to create the sets and costumes himself. At the age of twelve he started to paint. Later he studied animation because he always loved to tell stories, make people dream and take them into fantasy worlds. He graduated from the Academy Libanaise Des Beaux Arts first of his class in 2015. He has exhibited his paintings in different countries: Lebanon (Beirut, Jbeil), USA (Santa Ana), UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi), Saudi Arabia (Jeddah), Italy (Milan), France (Paris), England (Bonham’s – London), Sultanate of Oman (Muscat), South Africa (Johannesburg), Belgium (Bruges).

Artist Alhajri has a strong ability in expressing different places and times, either virual or realistically. This might be from his holistic concept of this world. He sees that the earth in all its details is his home, and all people living there are his brothers who breath the same air and share the same sky. The shapes and colours that are used by Al Hajri have clearly indicated this concept. There are paintings that have various shapes and colours that are totally different than the environment of Alhajri. The green colour reflects the memories of Sydney’s trees that are on the edges of the city streets and suburbs when the artist stayed in the middle of this nature.
The same thing goes when he used to sit under trees for long periods in the British city of Loughborough. At the level of shapes, many geometrical shapes such as circles, squares and triangles may be intertwined in one artwork, and one geometrical shape may be dominant in the work of art. The waving lines are included in some works of art, and this is an indication of the artist’s sense of music, transferring his passion for this from auditory to a visual. Curved lines indicate the shape of sand dunes in his town Bidiya and the waves of the sea on the shores of the Muscat.

Member of OSFA and YOUTH Studio in Oman; AWG in Muscat and Women’s Guild; Participated in most local exhibitions since 1997 and many international exhibitions in Oman; Exhibited in more than 13 countries all over the world (2000-2014); More than 30 group exhibitions in Oman; Took part in the Painting Project on the Air Force planes in 2013; Participated in the fashion show in Rome 2014; 3 shows in Muscat (2010-2014)

“It’s a spiritual feeling that calls artists all the time, it cannot be ignored. In my work I concentration on the deep relations and movement of people and places, picking inspirations from my roots to reach inner satisfactions.
Working on canvas leads me to a kind of peace and pleasure. Art including the magnitude of the aesthetic vocabulary takes us to words unheard, or expressing feelings with tools such as acrylics, oils and other different media to translate the core of my subject.
A dialogue spread to fill the whole surface with harmony and silence, dealing with colours and different materials by time lead us to the nature, where I start to match and combine passion in painting with the beauty of gems and natural stones; which, as well as silence, has mysterious stories…
So I moved on completing a journey of beauty with Omani silver treasures and gems, it’s more than a design, it’s a contemporary piece in a traditional touch, therefore I wish for you to enjoy every piece which is designed with love to reach your standards.”

Fattouh joined the Faculty of Fine Arts at the National Institute of the Lebanese University and received his degree in Fine Arts with honours in 1983. Ever since then Fattouh has been a prolific artist. From 1985 to the present he has held over 150 collective and personal exhibitions in Lebanon’s noted art galleries and festivals.
Abroad Fattouh exhibited in California, USA; Romania; England; France; Italy; Spain; UAE; Kuwait; Morocco; Jordan; Oman; Sweden; Switzerland; Cyprus; Tunisia; Greece; Saudia Arabia; as well as at different international auctions such as Bonham’s (London).
In his exhibition in London he was honoured by Queen Elizabeth II with a medal; he was chosen Artist of the year 2007 and selected as the 4th best artist by Riviera magazine for his exhibition “Byblos, return to my inspiration” in Santa Ana, California, USA.

1968 Graduate Diploma of Education Baghdad Institute of Al Adhmiya
1972 Educational training course in ceramics, Ministry of Education Baghdad
Member of Association of Iraqi Artists
Founding member of the Emirates Fine Arts society
1976 The first personal exhibition in Iraq

Exhibitions:
Ceramic artworks at the Sharjah Art Museum

Ceramic artworks in Islamic Calligraphy and Decoration Museum, Sharjah
Ceramic mural implementation of Diwan of the HH, Ruler of the Ajman (measuring 2m x 3m)
Implementation of paintings Ceramics Abu Dhabi landmarks of the Council HH Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed
Implementation ceramic mural in New Dubai Hospital (measuring 18m x 6m)
Implementation of two ceramic murals in the Public Prosecution building in Dubai (measuring 6m x 4m)

Mona al-Khaja is an Emirati fine artist holding a Bachelors in Art. She is also a member of the Fine Art Association on the Emirates. She has participated in art exhibitions in Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Oman, Cairo, Jordan, Morocco, Bahrain, India, Germany, Japan, France, Spain and Saudi Arabia.
UAE artist Mona al-Khaja uses a bundle of tools to augment many layers in her art. She was never content to employ just one technique, and excelled by using number of handy ingredients such as brushes, rollers and razors.
Mona has been painting since she was a child. She was highly motivated by her art teacher, who used to display artwork on the school signboard. Mona’s father inspired her to persevere, and provided her with all the tools and material she needed to become an artist.
Mona al-Khaja: At the age of 13, I became a member of Women’s Association, and created a painting bought by a leading woman dignitary of the UAE.
Mona studied fine art in Egypt and has participated in a series of art exhibitions in many countries, including Japan, India, Germany, France and Saudi Arabia.

Calligrapher Mohammed Mandi is recognised internationally for an individual style that combines letters and words to form three-dimensional images and figures. Working with different shades and colours, Mandi overlays the lettering in a laborious process that can take years to complete a singular work. By building up the surface in layers, Mandi transforms the two-dimensionality of script into a vibrating, multi-dimensional composition. The result is a breathtaking achievement that forges the textual with the visual, the literal with the symbolic, and the representational with the abstract.
For the artist, calligraphy is the art of the soul. Fascinated by the beauty of calligraphy as a child, Mandi enrolled in the Arabic Calligraphy Improvement School in Cairo, graduating in 1977. He continued his training in Turkey during the 1970s under renowned Turkish calligrapher, Hassan Chalabi. In the 1980s, he returned to the United Arab Emirates, where he has since designed calligraphy for the logos of government ministries, private companies, and commercial establishments. Mandi’s distinctive angular designs are found on banknotes throughout the UAE and Bahrain, and on passports in the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait. One of his most notable accomplishments is as one of the designers of the interior calligraphy in the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Mohammed Mandi lives and works in Abu Dhabi.

Patrick Faure is a native of the Principality of Monaco and is the creator of Faurism, an art movement for the 21st Century.
After gaining recognition in the United States and Continental Europe for producing a comprehensive collection of American Indian portraits, Patrick moved to London to explore a new form of expression. His current paintings merge art, philosophy and poetry in a new concept, Faurism, which ventures into the world of dreams, sexual desire, knowledge and erudition. The result is a synthesis of mythical phantasms, modern human condition and contemporary imagery.
Influence by Platonic and Existentialist though, Patrick challenges the viewer to uncover the intricate messages hidden in every part of his creations. While critics have described his style as “Escher meets Dali”, Patrick does not see himself as a Surrealistic painter. To the opposite he has developed his work into an epic poem, questioning the metaphysics of our existence. Patrick has participated in many exhibitions and counts Pepsi-Cola, NATO, the city of Sierra Vista, the US Army and Torvec Inc. amongst his customers.
He is being represented by galleries in Istanbul and Italy, and has been selected to present his work together with an essay on Art and Philosophy at the United Nations in November 2017.

Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others
Faisel’s style had already evolved in Baghdad through his artistic exchange with significant Iraqi artists, even before he left for Paris to study at the National Superior School of Fine Arts of Paris in 1974. While abroad, the Iran-Iraq War broke out and was followed after by the Gulf Wars, convoluting the formation of a consistent artistic identity in the third wave of Iraqi contemporary art. Many artists had fled the country but only a few have continued to maintain the lion’s share of attention. Faisel Laibi Sahi created his own creative canon. He became one of Iraq’s leading proponents of the arts, expressing the collective imagination of his country with an aesthetic and language of his own. Pictorial dreams that project nationalist imagery in a trans-cultural dialogue.

Born in Samawa, Al Said lived, worked and died in Bagdad. He received in 1948 a degree in social science from the Higher Institute of Teachers in Baghdad and in 1954 a diploma in painting from the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad where he was taught by Jawad Saleem. He continued his studies at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris until 1959, where he was taught by Raymond Legueult. During his stay in Paris, he discovered Western modern art in galleries and Sumerian art at the Louvre. After his return to Baghdad in 1959, Al Said studied the work of Yahya ibn Mahmud al-Wasiti, sufism and Mansur Al-Hallaj. He gradually abandoned figurative expressions and centered his compositions on Arabic calligraphy.
He co-founded in 1951 with Jawad Saleem Jama’et Baghdad lil Fann al-Hadith (Baghdad Modern Art Group), one of the most unusual arts movements in the Middle East in the post–World War II, that aimed to achieve an artistic approach both modern and embracing of tradition. This specific approach was called Istilham al-turath (Seeking inspiration from tradition), considered as “the basic point of departure, to achieve through modern styles, a cultural vision”. He headed the group after the death of Saleem in 1961.
In 1971, he founded Al Bu’d al Wahad (the One-dimension Group)”, which promoted the modern calligraphic school in Arab art.
His work is collected by major museums, such as Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, the Guggenheim in New York, and Sharjah Art Museum.

He has participated in more than 300 group exhibitions and 14 solo exhibitions.
He is an Egyptian artist who believes the grandest thing in the universe is the human being and the grandest in the human being is the soul. Hence he is occupied in his works by capturing this soul in its different forms. His canvases always include individuals, and in particular women, which represent to him a transparent container of the soul. Through the faces of women he captures the different status of the soul, its reactions, values, problems and deepest secrets.
Magdy Elkafrawy is occupied by the classical composition of the canvas as his colours interact in harmony and balance. He is fond of playing with tones or levels of the same colour, to the extent one might view the one canvas is a display of different tones of the same colour. He also manipulated his favourite colour material – oil – to be malleable and change from its normal coarse nature to the smoothness of watercolours.
The shadows and light in his works change by the change of the light entries and affect the tone of colour.
Decoration also has a prominent place in his works. If individuals are the soul of the canvas, the decoration is the geography of the soul, its history, places and stories of abundant details which tell you a new story every time you look at it.