ABSTRACTING NATURE | MOUSTAFA FATHI

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Moustafa Fathi’s career as one of Syria’s most important Contemporary painters spanned four decades, and his first major posthumous retrospective since his passing in 2009 is now on show at Dubai’s Ayyam Gallery at Alserkal Avenue. The artist and fine arts professor had a profound connection to nature and to the landscapes and folk art of his homeland, a relationship which is expressed through his earthy anthropological works that highlight his theoretical treatment of abstraction.

Towards the Absolute of Nature runs at Ayyam Gallery until November 12^th, and features a selection of Fathi’s paintings and works on paper, as well as archival materials and even some of the artist’s tools. With Syria in the news for all the wrong reasons nowadays, an exhibition of this calibre is a much-needed reminder of the country’s rich and diverse artistic heritage.