Netherlands: 'Suffering' exhibition by Adnan Alloush spots on Syria's pain

From the beginning of this month to the end of next December, "Gallery Franks" for Arts in the city of Zoetermeer in the western Netherlands will host a plastic exhibition by the Syrian artist "Adnan Alloush".

 The exhibition, entitled "Suffering", includes more than 50 works executed in acrylic colors in several medium and large sizes, which he completed inside the refugee camp in which he lives.

Alloush's paintings, 56, with their expressive ability and dramatic effect, are characterized by diversity and richness from one stage to another. -.

His passion for art began when he was still ten years old, as he used to draw small drawings in addition to his homework, and within years he was able to be a professional artist skilled in his artistic tools as he excelled in the fields of drawing and calligraphy alike.

 

In 1995, Alloush moved to the United Arab Emirates and was chosen to teach in one of the best model schools in the country. He also established the "Lamast Company" for interior design and decoration, and through it he implemented many projects in the palaces of the ruling family.

He was also the calligrapher of the Presidential Court, and he executed a huge mural on the occasion of the UAE Federation’s Day with a length of 160 meters, in which he excelled in linking the art of Arabic calligraphy and the arts of decoration and painting. The painting won the award for the best artwork on this occasion. The incorporation of different materials, in addition to painting and decoration, and the addition of 30 

m2 of pure gold leaf.

Alloush, 55, participated in several international exhibitions held in the capital, "Abu Dhabi", and his works won the admiration and appreciation of the public, the media and those interested. He won many awards from the Ministry of Education there as a reward for his outstanding performance in teaching the arts of drawing, sculpture and calligraphy.

In 2021, Alloush took refuge in the Netherlands via death boats on a perilous journey to live in a camp, where he managed to secure a small studio inside the camp to work on.

He used to draw pencil sketches, such as scenes of suffering and hardships faced by Syrians - as he witnessed some of them himself - and says: "What I see in the world, I record it in my head and draw."

Alloush added that some Dutch artists visited the camp and saw his works and admired his style and the human and intellectual value of the works. They advised him to set up an exhibition for them, and an exhibition has already been organized in Franks as of August 26.

The exhibition, which lasts for two months, included paintings he completed during the past ten months of various sizes, some in black and white, and in some of them more colors were used, mostly using acrylic on canvas technique.

Regarding his intentional choice of black and white, Alloush said that the colors need space and cost more money, which is not available at the present time, so he focused on black and white in his work that he accomplished over the past period.

Faris Al-Rifai