The exhibition will take place from February 17 to March 2 with a vernissage to be held on February 18, 2016 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
This body of work was done while I was fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, listening to
the Holy Quran recitation and Islamic music, inviting inner peace and reflecting it on the canvas
to share it with you, and living in a world that is losing its peace. I found myself in many
awkward situations being who I am; Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian from Gaza city (originally),
yet Canadian for the last 20 years. Respecting my roots and who I am today, I would love to
invite you into my Peaceful Zone.
While painting these narrative abstract paintings I was in a high spiritual state, which had a
direct effect on the imagery that was created; which have some sort of surrealism in it, and on
the choice of colors, that were based on a mixture of feelings: warmth, serenity, acceptance
and hopefulness. I used some elements to express my thoughts and feelings, such as
anthropomorphic symbols and archaeological forms that suggest places and spaces in time.
It all started when my brother gave me a journal with blank pages as a gift. Being unable to
paint during this period of time due to a lung problem made me use the blank pages of that
journal as my space to express myself using black ink pen. My journal is called “Thoughts
without Words”; year after year my journal became my best friend. After recovering from my
lung collapse, I decided to go back to painting with colors, expressing my thoughts and feelings
freely on the canvas. Using acrylics as a new medium challenged me to adapt to it, which was
part of the whole process. Reaching this state of spirituality, self-discipline and self-control, I
was able to invite inner peace within and I am hoping that (Peace, Pace, Paix, Salam سلام,
Shalom שלום, мир, ειρήνη) will be upon the whole world!
With love,
Assel El-Rayes