Samir Salamah First Retrospective Exhibition in Palestine
Samir Salamah has a rich experience that contributes to plastic arts in Palestine and worldwide. His style is dominated by his own language and methods in painting and coloring which he carefully developed with time while learning from his domestic heritage and opening himself to the world with its cultural diversity. Along his artistic path, Salamah presented more than seventy solo and group exhibitions in Arab and foreign capitals. His artworks varies between realistic abstraction and lyrical abstraction, with the use of Arabic calligraphy and oriental themes. His works also includes calligraphy, watercolor painting and prints among others.
Through this exhibition, we will try to display the artistic experiences and developments that the artist went through from the time of his forced exile from Palestine, until his voluntary exile in Paris, including his reoccurring visits to Palestine.
The exhibition will sum up the whole history of the life of the Samir Salamah. An artist whose language and passion are reflected in the canvas and paper clips, always wrapped up in an ambiguous, transparent thread that like a seal or fingerprint replaces the famous artist’s signature in the corner of the painting. Our artist is a magnificent elegant painter, with lines and colors that flow in endless harmony, cursing darkness and celebrating light, shadows, and the eastern sun, always present on the Mediterranean horizon.
As the idea to organize an exhibition that encompasses all the works of Samir Salamah in one venue was coming to light, I began to imagine the load of responsibility befalling on the artist, his friends and organizers all at the same time. The reason for that is not only the long experience of the artist that exceeds half a century, filled with creativity, various mediums and methods, but also because the artist developed his practice as he studied, immigrated and moved between many cities, countries and continents. To accomplish the task of collecting all the works of Salamah, one has to embark on an exciting trip to the past and penetrate the artistic history and experience of the artist. Additionally, one has to conduct a tiresome visit to all the different countries and locations where the artist left footprints as a refugee, student, guest and activist – where he travelled, produced, and exhibited his beloved works.
