Three artists from three countries make up the show currently running at Mojo Gallery in Dubai.
By combining art from Palestine, Syria and Zimbabwe, the curator has searched for communal points in the subject matter – the human face.
Personally, what I found interesting about this show was the appearance of portraiture by Ismail Al Rifai, who is a well-established and well collected artist from Syria with that of Misheck Masamvu, an emerging Zimbabwean artist.
Rifai paints a weeping mother, a sad sibling, lovers and friends; and all his faces reflect the turmoil of our times. Masamvu speaks of a similar turmoil and uses expressive emotional detail. Although disparate in background and style, the two artists collective consciousness is present here.
The third artist in the show, Tayseer Barakat shows a lack of stability and a life of permanent displacement and uncertainty. The faces, figures and symbols in his work yearn for freedom and at the same time are particularly haunting.
Although it is an obvious decision to unite art under the umbrella of the human condition, in this case, the juxtaposition of the varying artists is interesting and worth a visit.
* Triangle is currently running at Mojo Gallery, Alserkal Avenue. For more information visit www.themojogallery.com