Lines in Motion No. 5 by Hosni Radwan

Lines take center stage in Hosni Radwan’s latest series Lines in Motion, with their fluid and spontaneous movement. His simple yet expressive lines bend and transform, outlining bodies and faces and shaping tender moments of joy, contemplation, and sometimes melancholy. Radwan’s flowing lines guide the eye effortlessly. In some works, they seem like they could be pulled like a thread from a ball of wool. A hand reaches for an apple, while curving lines form the silhouette of effortless women at ease.  

Radwan’s series reflects nostalgia and belonging, as an artist in exile yearning for a connection to his homeland. Within the contours of his figures, he creates scenes and narratives tied to the memory of Palestine, the land that he longs for.  Scattered body parts appear in some paintings, evoking a sense of fragmentation between body and soul or perhaps between two geographies as if the artist wishes to exist in two places at once. Women are the focus of his compositions; caught between stillness and movement, the figures emit emotions and tenderness while vibrant worlds surround them. Using his distinctive watercolor technique, his characters seem to tell endless stories, while he leaves the backgrounds for continuous poetic rhythm, whether through scattered pomegranates or vibrant geometric patterns.