Marwan Sahmarani’s commanding freedom of gesture, expressed through expressive brushstrokes and pronounced impasto, highlights raw energy infused with intense vibrancy. Within this composition, the prominence of blue, representing water, takes centre stage. The negative space is intricately layered with abstract shapes, introducing dynamic movement and creating a striking contrast against the vivid blue backdrop.
Marwan Sahmarani (b. 1970, Beirut) lives and works between Beirut and the small Mediterranean mountain village of Tarbena, Spain. His textured paintings of powerful, robust brushstrokes, thick layers of paint and vibrant colours, serve as a poignant reflection of Lebanon’s enduring political turmoil. Sahmarani looks to the cyclical patterns of violent history in the Middle East, his works pure expressions of violence, through gesture and movement. Recent landscapes are more mediative in character, and yet share a monumental, pure elemental force.
Marwan Sahmarani has had several solo and group exhibitions in Europe, North America, and the Middle East, and was a winner of the Abraaj Group Art Prize in 2010.
