SAMEH ISMAEL
One Canvas- Different Voices
80 cm x 60 cm
Acrylic on canvas
In this canvas, I imagined the world as a giant wall which all opposing forces are writing on, putting their mark and expressing their points of view. They are loud different points of views, opinions, ideologies, political thoughts, powers - all struggling against each other. Each one wants to speak louder and drown the other’s voices. Despite the different colors, they still exist within one canvas.
In the end we have violence, turmoil and questions without answers. But, I believe that if all these opposing forces settle down and were reinvented with the same colors and within the same framework they will all reach a state of harmony and balance - an end to the chaos. Despite their differences – despite the different colors – fonts – letters, in the end they will still form one homogeneous picture.
Born in Egypt, Sameh studied Arabic Calligraphy and graduated from the Graphics department at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University in Cairo.
He employs Arabic Calligraphy as a visual unit, working on the elements of Islamic Art Heritage and also from typography in printing materials and graphite art. Arabic Alphabets have always intrigued him and shaped his painting practice: the form of the letter, the symbol, the meaning and the phoneme of each letter.
His dual practice as a professional painter -with rigorous formal fine art education, and musician/percussionist, feed into each other. The sounds produced by music led him to try to transcend the simple visual aesthetics of standard abstract painting and introduce visual elements that could be linked to sound.
Sameh has held solo exhibitions in Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Jordan, Barcelona. He has also collaborated with several artists on individual graphic projects like the Spanish artist Joan Carlos Noria for the Articulate Baboon Gallery, and the Austrian artist Thomas Mouk.