The Concept

Albareh Art Gallery is pleased to present for the first time in Bahrain, the first retrospective of Egyptian artist Hazem Taha that combines his latest works which will be showcased at Albareh Art Gallery and a selection of his older abstract paintings and photographs to be showcased at Albareh Café.

Hazem Taha is notorious for his unique composition technique. He builds his work by overlaying Islamic patterns or motifs on the background , in an effort to obscure or hide his abstract figures. Starting with the painting or drawing of figures, faces, or angels, he then covers them with paint, followed by plain areas. He finishes the work by superimposing over the entire surface, repeated and interlacing Islamic patterns or ornaments that he is fond of. The result is an optical illusion similar to a photograph. It shows a profile that is never motionless before the eyes, but constantly appears and disappears. The patterns superimposed on the figures create a sense of fluidity, movement and change. The last layer with its repeated patterns is the most interesting. It resembles the repeated typically found in Mosques. This effect forces the spectator to stare at one point at a time. This view is fluid and will change at different times and at different state of emotions, leaving the viewer to endless interpretations and different perceptions and each time uncovering something new.

Therefore Hazem Taha, a neo-expressionist painter, has succeeded in combining western and eastern elements in his paintings to produce forms for the spectator to interact with and to relate to, thus evoking some visual dialogue. The works involve the spectator in a dialogue questioning the meaning about rather than the perennial appeal.
About the artist

Since the early 80's Hazem Taha has been working as an artist, designer and teacher of visual communications design in Germany, Egypt and now in Bahrain. After developing the series of "Stick figures and portrait ghosts" in 1987, Hazem moved to Basel in 1988. This was the beginning of a series of new works whereby the paintings started to be superimposed with repetitive patterns. In 2000, Hazem continued to compose his works by the Juxtaposition of patterns leading to his own series of Omar El-Khayyam (A one man exhibition showcased at Space cream Art Gallery in Cairo). As he said, Hazem was inspired by his parents who are both artists. He learned from his father the importance of building layers while constructing a painting and he learned from his mother the technique of painting abstract figures in a dynamic or three dimensional perspectives. He has more than 80 products and public art projects in Africa, India and many other European and Arab Countries. He has been involved in Photomontage exhibitions in Cairo, Marseilles and Bonn, as well as painting exhibitions in various European countries, such as Sweden and Spain.