Unlocking Expressive Faces in Figurative Abstraction
ART BY FAHRI ALDIN
Opening Reception: Wednesday May 17, 2023 7-9pm
https://aldinart.eventbrite.ca
Curator Tour: Friday May 19, 10am – 11am
https://aldintour.eventbrite.ca
Exhibition: May 17 – June 7, 2023
Mon – Fri 10am – 5pm, Tue until 8pm
(Closed on weekends & Holidays)
Curated by VanGoghver Art Agency, Lipont Gallery presents Vancouver artist Fahri Aldin’s stunning new paintings and bronze sculptures, collectively named Unlocking Expressive Faces in Figurative Abstraction. Aldin’s titled series of figurative abstracts are combined with Surrealist and Cubist art.
As a professional artist with decades of practice in multi-disciplinary art, Fahri Aldin not only creates paintings and sculptures to manifest his unique views of human nature but also provokes intuitive emotions that synchronize with facial expressions and ongoing conversation during human interactions. He attempts to capture the moments of wisdom deep in our inner thoughts, reflected in our multicoloured expressions.
In this solo exhibition, Aldin attempts to share with us how to unlock the cues and listen to the “silent” visual art. His strong imagination allows his brushes and canvases to travel between Cubist, Surrealist, and abstract styles.
He touches people’s hearts with his art. When asked about his secret touch, he explains that the mesmerizing, yet intriguing facial abstract is silent yet talkative. It shows interactive emotions that all his audience can and will eventually read, enjoy and, most importantly, receive.
The messages integrated into his work were infinite and never limited to themes like peace, social life, what makes us human, multiculturalism, body language, and differences which inevitably made us all similar.
In his late years of retirement on an island with his family, he adopted a new body of work that represents his dedicated passion for creating an imaginary image of today’s world of greed, selfishness, and hate that leads to conflicts and eventual war, versus the peaceful harmony and tranquility that should prevail.
His massive-sized paintings are to be displayed in the Geneva Convention Center of Peace. Two of his large sculptures were acquired by the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a gift to another country.
The latest series of his work were kept private in his own collection. They are mural size and expressive yet filled with surprising details and metaphors. They depict the sour relationships between countries, which cause disunity, loss, suffering, migration, poverty, and hunger. This series results from his reduced social interactions during the pandemic, which allowed him to review the latest evolving materialistic culture.
His sculpture Messenger of Peace, with conjoined efforts of the art curator Bil Hammoud of VanGoghver Art Agency, was editioned to deliver a message of unity to fight COVID. A mask with a Superman logo was put on the sculptured horse’s mouth and attracted 10,000 viewers in only three days at an art fair. Audiences at the upcoming Unlocking Expressive Faces in Figurative Abstraction Exhibition at Lipont Gallery are welcome to take pictures with the Messenger of Peace.
Fahri Aldin
Canadian artist
Officially represented by VanGoghver Art Agency, Fahri Aldin is a painting & sculpture artist, architect, graphic and furniture designer. He was born in 1950. In 1981 he received his degree in architecture from the Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urbanism in Bucharest. From the beginning, all of Aldin’s work has shown a clear relation with his double profession as an architect and artist.
After graduating from college, Aldin resided in West Berlin, where he worked for Aldawly Magazine as a graphic designer and art director, and as an art and design consultant for the Egyptian Gallery. From 1983 to 1987, Aldin resumed his studies in architecture and wrote his doctoral thesis focusing on the oriental influences in costume design and architectural details in Eastern Europe. In 1987, he moved to Rome and worked on the restoration and conservation of art, antiques, and frescos, also showing his work in a number of exhibitions there. After living for some time in Italy, he moved to Canada. In 2010, his studio in Thailand was completed, which allowed him to fully excel at his sculpture and furniture making.
Known for his figurative abstract variation, he is often mistaken by clients as the Picasso of his era but in his own style: abstract figurative portraits, surreal still life, depictions of merry scenes, and more. The boldness of one of Aldin’s grand format paintings can fill a grand room or a smaller, more personal original work of art. He also has a great selection of original abstract, Surrealism- and Cubism-influenced contemporary paintings. Bright and bold colours, musicians, weddings, fantasy aliens, and other characteristics make a wonderful series of original abstract acrylic paintings on canvas and other materials.
Aldin has always been active as a freelance artist, doing both commissioned works of art as well as his own artworks. His works can be found in numerous private and public collections across Europe, Canada, and the USA. At present, he continues his artistic pursuits in ideas and artworks such as sculptures, calligraphy and painting at his West Vancouver studio and furniture design at his Thailand home and foundry.
Aldin’s Sculpture Art
Aldin is also proud to offer his beautiful, limited edition surreal and abstract expressionist bronze sculptures. Typically, each of Aldin’s bronze sculptures has only seven copies made before the molds are destroyed. With such limited numbers of his bronze sculptures, these limited edition works of art are certain to be highly collectible.
VanGoghver Art Agency
Bil Hammoud entered the Canadian contemporary art scene during his second year as a curatorial student at the Emily Carr University of Art + Design. His education background is of traditional Islamic Heritage and brings to contemporary curation a thoughtful lens of peaceful worldviews and counternarratives. He likes to create, share and embrace artistic concepts that facilitate a change in the world. He is the founding artistic director of VanGoghver Art Agency in British Columbia and is most recently the curator of artist Fahri Aldin’s exhibitions in galleries abroad. Working as a guest curator since 2010, he is the recipient of the Art Curatorial Achievement Award by (MAX) Muslim Achieving Excellence Network.
Bil has also filled many positions in the cultural sector/domain with various arts-based organizations in British Columbia where he had been a sessional and presenter of various community art events. Bil is the recipient of the 2016 Cultural Leadership Award by the City of Richmond for his work with curation and advocacy for creating architectural space at local B.C. community mosques with Islamic Art, traditional calligraphy and sacred symmetrical geometry. His insights and expertise have been featured in keynote presentations and Islamic art essays in several forums including local annual B.C. Culture Days.
VanGoghver Art Agency participated in many art fairs, most recent was at the Art! Vancouver at Vancouver Convention Centre in May 2022. He also participated in art fairs in Seattle, L.A and New York, USA. Funds generated from art sales are allocated to support a local cultural art charitable organization in B.C.
