Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
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Damascus, SANA – The art gallery of the European Parliament in the Duchy of Luxemburg exhibits works of the single 70th exhibition for the Syrian artist Mohammad Ghannoum.
Ghannoum’s exhibition, from 8th to 16th of June, includes 26 Arabic-character paintings whose themes focus on the homeland, Damascus and the ancient cities of Ugarit, Ebla, Maaloula. Most of the pictures were basically drawn in 2015 and 2016 using the technique of acrylic on canvas with different sizes and adopting his well-known style of drawing with Arabic characters with a renewed vision on visual artwork.
Ghannoum, a lecturer at the faculties of Fine Arts and Architecture at Damascus University, said in an interview with SANA that he was invited by Claude Turmes, Member of the European Parliament to make the exhibition, which constitutes an attempt to reflect the culture of beauty instead of “ugliness the enemies sought to make it sweep our country and souls.”
He added any Syrian artistic activity at this critical time constitutes a serious attempt for casting ugliness aside and fulfilling humanity via arts, considering that it’s time that the Arab visual art went out of its narrow scope to the world.
The artist said that the Syrians do not need certificates of good conduct by the West, which pictures the Syrians as refugees who have lost capability of providing civil and human achievements.
He clarified that the Syrian art exhibitions abroad come as a response to such allegations and as a continuation of the historic role of “our forefathers through spreading civilization, art and culture worldwide via the dialogue of aesthetics and love.
Ghannoum said that artists provide their own artistic perspective, experience and personality regardless to the audience they address, depending on tackling the human self as to make their art present and influential.
“Although my paintings are too local in terms of the use of Arabic characters, this locality was the method that has led me to the international arena,” he continued to say.
Artist Ghannoum was born in Damascus in 1949. He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Damascus University in 1976. He holds a PhD in Philosophy of Arts Sciences from Tashkent in 1992. He is Head of Association of Friends of Art in Damascus since 1996.
R.Milhem/Ghossoun
