Syrian artist Fadi Yazigi to make UK debut

London's Mosaic Rooms will show recent paintings, reliefs, sculptures and films by Fadi Yazigi in the celebrated Syrian artist's first UK exhibition

In October, the work of Syrian-born artist Fadi Yazigi will be displayed in the UK for the very first time. The solo show will include recent paintings, reliefs, sculptures and films by the artist, many of which reflect the tragedy of contemporary Syria.
Yazigi's work often depicts ordinary people as physically-underdeveloped creatures or half-human beasts. With a dramatic use of colour and highly arresting imagery, the artist's work frequently portrays the marginalised and unhappy.
Examples of this trademark technique can be seen in the works scheduled to be featured in his latest exhibition.
In one ink on canvas, a sea of black faces are set against a white background; next to each face, Yazigi has left a blank space in which the subject wrote about his or her feelings at the time of painting. Accompanying the work is a document listing Yazigi's first impressions of each person painted.
In another work, a bronze sculpture entitled “King Che,” Yazigi provides his own interpretation of celebrated Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara, portraying him as a dreamer with an innocent, upturned smiling face.
One of the most important artistic voices in the Arab world today, Yazigi was born in Syria in 1966. He studied sculpture at the Faculty of Fine Art in Damascus, graduating in 1988.
He now works fulltime as an artist, using various techniques including painting, sculpture and reliefs. His work has been shown internationally at exhibitions and art fairs and has been sold to collectors all over the world.
The exhibition will open on Friday, 7 October. The following day, Yazigi will discuss his work in the Mosaic Rooms at 12 noon. A short film by the artist about prominent writer Elias Khoury will also be shown during the exhibition.
The Mosaic Rooms, A.M. Qattan Foundation, Tower House
226 Cromwell Road, London, UK