A few things stayed with me after visiting Safwan Dahoul’s The Eye: An Aperture Into the Soul at Ayyam Gallery.
The latest chapter of the Syrian artist’s decades-long practice brings together large-scale monochrome paintings and a series of smaller works that deserve attention. Loved those pieces a lot.
Across the exhibition, figures appear compressed, suspended, and watchful, creating images that feel deeply personal and universally human.
While themes of isolation, memory, and endurance run throughout the exhibition, what lingers most is Dahoul’s ability to communicate so much with so little. Restrained palettes, simplified forms, and a single gaze are enough to hold your attention long after you leave the gallery.
Enjoy
SAFWAN DAHOUL
The Eye: An Aperture Into the Soul
Ayyam Gallery
A new exhibition at Ayyam Gallery features the latest works from Syrian artist Safwan Dahoul’s long-running Dream series
For more than three decades, Dahoul has returned to the same world of striking monochromes where life, memory, longing, and loss emerge
The Dream series began in the late 1980s. Since then, Dahoul has used it to explore solitude, alienation, and the emotional states that shape human experience
In this new body of work, his familiar world changes. The open interior is compressed into a confined, box-like space
The figures that once moved freely now appear isolated. Curled inward, they occupy spaces that feel both protective and restrictive
The eye becomes central. It is the only opening through which the figure’s inner world can still be seen
Some eyes appear luminous. Others seem exhausted. Together, they suggest moments of resilience, vulnerability, and waiting
The exhibition asks what remains when freedom disappears, and when a person can no longer fully express what they feel
Born in Hama, Syria, in 1961, Dahoul is regarded as one of the leading painters in the Arab world
His work draws from many influences, from Cubism to Assyrian and Pharaonic art, while maintaining a visual language that is distinctly his own
A recurring female figure appears throughout the Dream series. Her contorted body and vacant gaze have become defining elements of Dahoul’s practice
I was particularly drawn to the smaller works. Though distinct from the monumental canvases, they carry the same sense of introspection and emotional weight
Despite their size, the works suggest entire worlds, as if what is visible is only a small part of a much larger story
They are also rather haunting
Partly autobiographical, the paintings explore grief, estrangement, conflict, and the psychological spaces these experiences create
Make sure you check it out on view now at Ayyam Gallery in Alserkal Avenue
Love this work - both yours and Dahoul's!