Albareh Art Gallery is pleased to present for the first time in Bahrain the latest works of Egyptian artist, Hazem Taha, as well as a retrospective on his paintings and photography that will be held in Albareh Cafe?. Hazem Taha is notorious for his unique composition technique. He builds his work by overlaying Islamic patterns or motifs in 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 patterns typically found in Mosques forcing the spectator to stare at one point at a time. This view is fluid and will change at different times and at different states of emotions, leaving the viewer to endless interpretations and different perceptions, 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 rather than the perennial appeal.