Artist Majd Kurdieh’s flock helps you smile in times of trouble
SHARJAH: Majd Kurdieh is one of Fann A Porter Dubai and Amman’s best-loved artists. His latest works, including compositions on canvas and paper and watercolour on paper with select oil on canvas, the gallery says, are being presented with the aim to “give encouragement to persevere with hope in uncertain times”. “Kurdieh is painter whose childlike drawings speak to the soul”, the gallery adds. His cartoon like work is a combination of art and literature, it notes. The artist lives on the edge of a forest in Lebanon, away from civilisation and close to nature (born in Aleppo, Syria, in 1985, he is based in Amsheet, Lebanon), where he dreams up his paintings, like an alternative or virtual world. (Amsheet is a seaside town, about 40 kilometres north of Beirut. It was called “Ar-soun” at one point in time, which meant “great beauty”. The word was inspired by a mountainous region of incomparable beauty, known throughout the region).
Kurdieh uses cartoon-like characters to talk about the current state of the world. Most of his works are accompanied by his quotes in Arabic that translates to positive or powerful messages. Though he is inspired by Arabic poets such as Mahmoud Darwish and Wallada bint Al Mustakfi, he says he rarely writes the text. “Most of the characters direct the dialogue and the plot, and sometimes they keep silent until I finish with the painting”, he says. He has created a cast of characters, the Fasaeen ( meaning tiny ones in Arabic), the two main ones being Fasoon, the boy, and Fasooneh, the girl. They are noted for their perpetual smiles, despite the hardships they endure. The ‘gang’, made up of other animal characters, are called the ‘Very Scary Butterfly Gang’. Together, their mission is to steal sadness in the world with their sole weapon, the flower. By ‘stealing sadness’, one creates a world where only happiness and joy exist, without there being opponents or spoil sports.
“Kurdieh’s works connect with people on a deeper and meaningful level and are widely collected around the world”, Fann A Porter says. Recently, he has featured in solo and group exhibitions at BBA Gallery, Berlin (2019); Manara Arts & Culture, Jordan ( 2020, 2019); Fann-a-porter, Dubai (2019, 2018, 2016); El-sawy Culture Wheel, Cairo (2019); Athar Al Farasheh, Aleppo (2011); Sikka Art Fair, Dubai (2018) and Art Bahrain, Manama (2019, 2018). His works are housed in public and private collections in the Middle East and abroad, and form part of UAE Minister of State Dr Zaki Nusseibeh’s private collection and the Atassi Foundation.
His childlike paintings are recognised for the use of recurring whimsical figures. The works have always been figurative, with his earlier ones being a series of trials in realism, mythicism and other related fields. Through years of painting and exploration, he reduced his style to the more minimalistic one his new works embody. The stories told through the characters are not specific ones he references, but rather ones that could apply to any viewer, leaving room for personal interpretation. Therefore, you can smile in private.
At first glance, the works seem cartoonlike and simple; however, on further investigation, the viewer is drawn into a complex world the artist has been able to simplify, with an almost childlike innocence. Using the paradox of a butterfly and it being very scary, Kurdieh touches upon harsh topics with immense gentleness. He explains that “when the fragility of a butterfly scares you, you become indifferent to the roars of a monster, you will busy yourself defending the rights of people to maintain their humanity”. At the core is a strong sense of protectiveness and the need to shed light on and hold firm to, human rights and needs. The ‘gang’ (which word itself a paradox, given the noble ends for which it works), carries out small optimistic tasks, like removing thorns from the ground and replacing them with flowers, or talking to the sun and the moon.
Kurdieh describes them as “smaller than a cherry blossom but bigger than the world. They are always smiling even if they are in tears; they do not own a house. They hate walls. They dream of a wide-open window and floating in the air”. The sun itself rises and sets at its own whims, projecting a sense of freedom to the viewer. The artist is sensitive to a fault, channeling emotional layers into creating deeply humane work. The ingenuity of his paintings and drawings is a mark of his candour and sincerely draws atention to issues he feels deserve to be represented truthfully.
“The love of the world means a lot to me. It is the gentle fire that keeps my heart warm in these cold times”, he says. Growing up near the Euphrates river in northeast Syria, yellows and blues are recurrent in his works, drawing upon his memories of home. At a time of personal trauma and conflict in his hometown and home country, Kurdieh does not try to portray the darkness prevailing there; rather, he illuminates with beauty and colour – wanting to ‘iron out the land’. He aims to invoke emotions in the viewer as well as create an awareness that opens doors to an honest discourse on critical issues. A light-spiritedness runs through all the works. At the centre of the practice is a sense of duty to make the world a beter place, whether through art, discourse, or creating moments where the viewer forms a connection with his Fasaeen.