Fadi Yazigi

Still Life….Still Alive…Still a Life

February 18 through March 25, 2017

Opening Reception: Saturday, February18 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm

Deborah Colton Gallery is pleased to present Still Life…Still Alive…Still a Life, an exhibition featuring paintings, drawings and sculpture by Syrian artist, Fadi Yazigi. The exhibition opens Saturday, February 18, with an opening reception from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

“Irrespective of what’s happening in the world I live in, I am still alive and still have a life.” Yazigi says. Having arrived at this realization, Yazigi uses his thoughts and findings as the starting point for a new, landmark, mixed-media installation of works that juxtapose still life, or figures in black ink, reflecting the artist’s documented observation that there are times when we are all motionless, be it planned or a random act, yet we are still breathing, thinking, living and even creating art.

A large installation consisting of squares painted in contrasting colors on rice paper and mounted on canvas, acts as the platform for one narration on which the artist explores several themes and concepts. Subjects inevitably include the war in Syria and its impact on both the artist himself and others, but also their desire for a better tomorrow.

Another installation includes a collection of ceramic, mosaic figures in jeweled, arabesque colors on wooden bases in the shape of a cross. All of the subjects include figurative illustrations, while some are also upside down. Their thoughts remain a mystery and beg rhetorical questions aplenty; are they feeling pain? Or perhaps they long to be closer to god.

The Wall, a bronze sculpture, of which, on each side of this zig-zag wall are confined figures, their backs cemented to the surface. Each figure appears to be holding a different item that reflects something they are trying to protect. One figure holds a rock, ready for combat. Another clutches a child to its bosom.

“The war has had a big effect on me, but I can’t stop working,” the artist notes. “It’s part of my survival and a way of looking for a solution.”

Fadi Yazigi is a multi-media, figurative artist known for his paintings, ceramic relief carvings and sculptures. Yazigi was born in 1966 and studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Damascus University. He still lives and works in the city today. In his instantly-recognizable pieces, Yazigi often presents his subjects as underdeveloped creatures or half-human beasts, capturing their emotions and expressions as they deal with whatever life throws at them, from the mundane and humorous to the horrors of war.

Public collections, include The British Museum (London), The Delfina Foundation (London), Kaleemat Foundation (Istanbul), A.M. Qattan Foundation (London) and Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (UAE), as well as private collections throughout the Middle East, Europe, Asia and the United States. Solo exhibitions include Art Paris Art Fair (Paris 2016), Yallay Art Gallery (Hong Kong 2015), The City Hall (Thessaloniki, Greece, 2015), Galerie Tanit (Beirut 2015), Darat AL Funun (Kuwait 2014), The Mosaic Rooms (London 2011), Ayyam Gallery (Damascus 2009) and Al Bareh Art Fallery (Bahrain 2006). Group Exhibitions include Galeries de Verre L’Art en Marche (Bordeaux 2015), Institut des Cultures d’Islam (Paris 2014), Meem Gallery (Dubai 2013), BIEL Center, (Beirut 2013), Athr Gallery (Jeddah 2013), Europe Art Expo (Geneva 2006) and Gallery Amber (Leiden 2003).

Deborah Colton Gallery is founded on being an innovative showcase for ongoing presentation and promotion of strong historical and visionary contemporary artists world-wide, whose diverse practices include painting, works on paper, sculpture, video, photography, performance and conceptual future media installations. The gallery aspires to provide a forum through connecting Texas, national and international artists to make positive change.