Shadi AbouSada

Shadi AbouSada

Also known as Shadi Abu Sada, Shadi Abu Saada
 
Abou Sada was born in Sweida City, Syria in 1983, graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Damascus University in 2008, and lives and works in Beirut, Lebanon.
 
Through working in installations and video, he is best known for his luminous paintings, often incorporating layers of drawing, graffiti, torn posters or newspapers. His subjects are commonplace; children playing, urban scenes, animals, still lives or intimate portraits.
 
Using ink and either a pen or a brush, his drawings are confident, showing his mastery of suggesting volume and perspective. His lines are clear and un-ambiguous, but are then layered, often showing two views, or two moments in time, of the same scene. The resulting images of children, girls and women are paradoxically ambiguous, infused with symbolism and mystery.
 
Though the scenes are bright, Abou Sada has said, “It is impossible for a creature to exist in the light without casting a shadow.“ Whilst celebrating the beauty of the everyday, he also sees potential danger and pain, and the nihilistic side of every human being.
 
His 2013 solo exhibition at ARTLAB in Beirut was titled Shadow of a Shadow. More recently he has had solo shows at Mark Hatcham Gallery there and in Paris, Wall of Memories and A Shadows Dream on a Wall. His has exhibited in many group shows in Syria, and more recently in the Lebanon, the Netherlands, France, and a two-person show in Qatar.
 
https://shadiabosada.wixsite.com/1983