Sadik Alfraji
'Waiting
for Godot' Solo Exhibition
Vernissage: Saturday, June 4 at Ayyam Gallery,
Damascus at 7pm
Exhibition: June 4 - June 30
On
June 4, Ayyam Gallery Damascus will proudly present
the solo show of Holland-based Iraqi artist Sadik
Kwaish Alfraji. Marking his debut exhibition with
Ayyam Gallery since first joining its lineup of
artists earlier this year, this forthcoming event
will feature several new large-scale works. Created
as part of his recent “Waiting for Godot” series,
these lambda prints are a continuation of Alfraji’s
exploration of philosophical and existential themes.
A visual artist, print maker and designer, Alfraji
blends art and philosophy as a means of expanding
the formulistic and conceptual boundaries of his
aesthetic. His imposing multimedia compositions
explore a variety of themes, including everything
from the universal human condition to experiences
of exile and fragmentation.
Revolving
around colossal, ambiguous figures, which nearly
fill the compositional space, this series derives
its title from the 1950s Samuel Beckett play, which
focuses on the happenings of two characters whom
endlessly wait for “Godot”. The time that lapses
as the central protagonists anticipate Godot’s arrival,
which in the end does not occur, serves as the tableau
through which pensive underpinnings are revealed.
For Alfraji, this subject matter allows for further
investigation into the absence of what is unspoken,
that which never materializes but is longed for—that
is desired but unattainable, be it love, freedom,
happiness, and so on. In Alfraji’s work, however,
it is understood that such want is out of the reach
of his figures, yet they wait nonetheless.
Who
is Sadik Alfraji:
Born in Baghdad in 1960, Sadik Kwaish Alfraji studied
at the Institute of Fine Arts and the Academy of
Fine Arts in Iraq, from which he graduated with
a diploma and degree in plastic arts, respectively.
After leaving his native country in the early 1990s,
in 2000 he pursued a High Diploma in Graphic Design
from the CHK Constantijn Huygens in the Netherlands,
where he is now based. Having participated in countless
exhibitions in the Middle East, Europe, Asia and
the US since the 1980s, his work is housed in the
collections of the National Museum of Modern Art
in Iraq, The National Gallery of Fine Arts and the
Shoman Foundation in Jordan, the Novosibirsk State
Art Museum in Russia, and the Cluj-Napoca Art Museum
in Romania. Recently he was commissioned to produce
new work for “Told/Untold/Retold” one of the inaugural
exhibitions of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art
in Doha, Qatar.
Ayyam Gallery
Founded in 2006, Ayyam Gallery is one of the Middle
East’s leading contemporary art spaces. With a selection
of cutting-edge painting, sculpture and photography
that represents some of the Arab world’s most exciting
talent, the gallery has sought to promote the region's
dynamic cultural scene at home and abroad. For more
information visit ayyamgallery.com
Mezzeh West Villas
30, Chile Street
Samawi Building
Damascus, Syria
Tel: +963 11 613 1088
Fax: +963 11 613 1087
Sat-Thu, 10AM-8PM
info@ayyamgallery.com
http://www.ayyamgallery.com
