Mostafa Darehbaghi

Mostafa Darehbaghi was born in the Tehran, Iran, where he developed a profound appreciation of art at an early age. This inner interest inspired him to continue a professional life in art leading to his graduation from the University of Arts of Tehran. The intervening prolific years have yielded 28 solo and more than 120 group exhibitions throughout Iran, Dubai, US, Sweden, India, Belgium, Cyprus, and Croatia. Mostafa has attained many prestigious awards and honors. His works are permanently displayed in prominent public and private collections including Carnegie Hall New York, Georgian Bank of Atlanta, Alliance Française of Atlanta, The Armory Show New York, Sidney Marcus Foundation (Home Depot founded) in Atlanta, Consulate of France in Atlanta, Tehran Museum of Modern Art, Embassy of Italy in Tehran, Embassy of Brazil in Tehran and in a private dwelling on The World Dubai. He is currently based  in Atlanta , USA and Tehran.

Mostafa’s work often features harmonic blends of geometric patterns incorporated with figurative subjects that create a unique abstract atmosphere. His style retains a visual complexity of symbolic elements that are also influenced by nature.

In 1995, Mostafa Darehbaghi had his first show at The Majlis Gallery. We were delighted to introduce his artwork to Dubai’s developing art scene. He has held many solo and group exhibitions at Majlis Gallery since, becoming  an established member of Dubai’s art scene  “The dynamic movement of this city is extremely exciting, it directly influences me and my state of mind.” is how he describes his relationship with this part f the world.

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Mohammed Dib Masri

Mohammed’s work is fundamentally a celebration of the human figure. Some recline, gaze, dance, others discourse, stroll, exchange information. All have a whimsical quality, and suggest conversations and situations in process.

Each painting is a title which provides a platform from which the viewer can begin their journey of exploration: ‘Companions’, ‘Hesitation’, ‘Young Love’, ‘Dreaming’, ‘A Fresh Complaint’, ‘Shared Life’, ‘Going Home’, ‘The Enthusiast’, are just some of the works which Mohammed has painted to portray the enormous versatility of the human figure, and how it can be used to convey emotions, passions, impressions.

Mohammed’s work is rich with memory. In general terms, it conveys a sense of life’s journey, and on a more personal level it tells of his emergence from his childhood in Syria to adulthood in Saudi Arabia. He says:

“The child that came from the city of Hama, with its detached stony houses, narrow alleys, scent of jasmine and music from the water wheel, still lives within me. I still see the light and hues of my country, as they mutate through the seasons, defining time through colour, sound and taste.”

The artist finds himself continuously inspired by man as he conducts his life – his naivety, simplicity, daily concerns, and frequent pleasures. The result is paintings which are evocative, nostalgic and unapologetically romantic.

For many of his formative years, Mohammed explored different artistic techniques and mediums, although recently he has concentrated on painting with traditional oils and watercolours.

The artist was born in 1942 and graduated from the University of Fine Arts in Damascus. Mohammed has exhibited extensively, both in group and solo exhibitions, and has participated regularly in the annual exhibition at the National Museum in Damascus.

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Michael Chaikin

Michael Chaikin was born in 1957 in the United Kingdom and became a doctor in 1981. He had always attended art classes in his spare time mostly making ceramics until one day he swapped to sculpture-modeling classes. This was the greatest shock of his life, he completely fell in love with sculpture and from then on changed his career path. He first went to Eastbourne College Art College and then Falmouth Art.

College and graduated with a BA Hons in fine art in 1990. Michael has always been fascinated at the workings of machinery, taking toys and train-sets apart as a child and has always loved the works of Alexander Calder- the mobile maker, and Jean Tinguely- the mad kinetic sculptor. The original fascination with the interior workings of the human body eventually emerged as a desire to create movement and form in sculpture. He has not practiced medicine since 1999, concentrating on sculpture hosting numerous one man and private commissions throughout Europe. Working mainly in copper ( a material greatly influenced by world financial markets) his sculptures benefit from being placed outdoors where they elements give them life and Enhance their patina. Though akin to childrens mobiles these fabulous sculptures are so much more.

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Khaled Al Saai

Khaled is a man wise beyond his years. Deeply contemplative and quietly confidant he is not only a driving force behind modern Arabic calligraphic practice but also a passionate advocate of a wider understand of this formidable art.

Recognition of his rightful place in the genre comes not only from art houses, museums, universities and collectors worldwide but also from fellow calligraphers who on numerous occasions have awarded him the title of Master of Calligraphy in both modern and traditional categories. Initially this ability to stride the role of being a painter and a calligrapher was a dilemma until with maturity he accepted that the two exist alongside, no decision had to be taken, in fact the discipline of confirming to the edicts of the seven “pillars” of Arabic Calligraphy, Thuluth, Naskh, Tualeeq, Kufic, Diwani, Diwani Jali Jali and Regga feeds his abstract spirit allowing his painterly being to soar.

Khaled’s fascination with the written word was kindled and nurtured through growing up in Syria, in a family to whom creativity, visual, musical, poetic and edible! was part of daily life. His work is often a reflection on the emotions of freedom and discovery associated with his childhood.

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Kevin Dean

A graduate from the Royal College of Art in 1982. Kevin Dean has illustrated numerous publications, designed textiles, murals and decorations for architecture.

His keen interest in the environment, flora and fauna is reflected in much of his work. Two children’s books illustrated with Prof. Norris Wood, Jungles and Rivers & Lakes, from the Nature Hide & Seek series have sold over a Million copies worldwide.

Working with Fantini Mosaici of Milan, Kevin has created a unique floral design for the marble floor of the 18,000 sq m Sahan or courtyard in The Grand Mosque Abu Dhabi. He also designed other large floors and archways within the mosque in collaboration with the international architects Spatium, Milan. The Grand Mosque opened in March 2008.

In May 2008 Kevin showed his first collection of wallpapers at The International Contemporary Furniture Fair, New York. The English Roses collection of wallpapers is traditional/classic but the scale of the designs, the colours and materials used give the collection a very contemporary look. The collection was very well received by the design industry and Kevin has added some exclusive textiles and tableware to the range.

An experienced teacher and lecturer, Kevin has taught at The Royal College of Art, The Eden Project and in schools and colleges around the UK. He has lectured at The V&A and The Dulwich Picture Gallery. Kevin lives on the south coast of England with his wife, 3 lively sons and a large collection of plants.

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Katy Donaldson

Katy Donaldson has been a professional photographer for over 20 years. She has lived and worked in London, Dubai, Italy, Brussels and Athens. Now based in Kent in the south east of England she returns to Dubai regularly and maintains a strong affection for the city and the region. Originally trained as a traditional portrait photographer in London’s Bond Street, Katy has since expanded her work to include fine art, still life, fashion, beauty, landscape travel and commercial. She has exhibited her work in solo and group exhibitions and worked for several magazines both in the UK, Dubai and Internationally.

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John R Harris

WATERCOLOURS

Delicate and subtle are perhaps surprising descriptions for the work of a past rugby-playing Welshman, but they are frequently used adjectives for John Harris’ paintings. The contradiction is remarkable considering his career in art education, where he taught for 25 years in some tough schools in UK and overseas. Throughout, his interest in painting was a constant thread and in ’86 he realised his ambition to become a full-time artist.

John’s fascination with landscape spans the dark valleys of his native South Wales, its lovely mountains and rivers; the subtle shades of the English countryside; away to the Australian outback, the broad vistas of Africa and to the mountains, wadis and sparkling coastlines of Dubai and Oman.

Combined with his travels, John’s continuing artistic development makes for a busy life, keeping several galleries supplied with fresh paintings and working on the surprising number of private commissions that take him to unexpected and interesting places.

John’s work has frequently been exhibited with the Royal Institute of Watercolourists and hung in the Mall Galleries, London and at the ‘Welsh Artist of the Year’ exhibitions in Cardiff. He was the winner of the ‘Elgar’s Places’ competition in 2007, a celebration of the great British composer’s 150th Anniversary.

John’s paintings are collected worldwide and he is delighted to have been associated with the Majlis Gallery since it started 25 years ago. A regularly updated collection of John’s work here showcases his abiding interest in subtle light, reflection and the transitory aspects of atmosphere. It underlines his powerful connection to the landscape.

www.harris-watercolours.co.uk

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Jenny Croxford

Jenny Croxford first came to Dubai in early 1980 and was one of the group of talented artists who showed their work on our walls in what have become known as “The old days”,

The body of work that Jenny did then, just prior to the demolition of a large chunk of the Bastakia, is of great historic and architectural interest. Anyone who acquired a “Bastakia Series” from those early shows is truly the owner of a unique and beautiful record of a bygone era.

Jenny’s fascination with Islamic Architecture and decoration was first kindled during her travels in southern Spain and Morocco during the 1970’s. This was the work Alison first saw when she met her in Cornwall in 1979, Alison relates that “ I just knew that Dubai would be a spring board for her” and so it has proved. Jenny’s research into the mathematical intricacies of Islamic tessellations combined with her infinite talent as a printmaker, her knowledge and application of modern technology and her abounding creativity have won her recognition as a master of the art of print making.

This new collection of mono prints and original paintings sees an artist so in tune with her subject and her medium that she has taken her art to an even higher plane. A superb draftswoman (a skill that underpins the work of all good abstract artists) Jenny also makes her own papers and plates and mixes her own combination of inks and dyes and pigments. The pieces go through many stages of layering and building, often laying in wait for just the right piece of foil or translucent ink to be added to the composition. The final work emerges from the hand rolled press into the hands of a fairly exhausted artist. For it is truly a physical as well as creative process.

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Jamal Abdul Rahim

Born in Bahrain in 1965, Jamal Abdul Rahim has notched up an impressive portfolio of exhibitions, (Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Norway, Holland, Japan, Slovenia, Spain, France and the UAE to name a few.

Originally a Fisherman, Jamal always knew he was also an artist. His totally untutored journey into the creative world allowed him the freedom to experiment, discover and on occasions stretch the boundaries of conventional image making. It was the world of printmaking that first engaged him, his delight of feeling his way through the process coupled with his research through the history of art leading to some stunning large works taking a well-known figure or image, for instance the Mona Lisa or the Statue of David, and then personalizing it with colour and texture and often symbols of the Middle Eastern culture, Miro also a prevailing influence. Black and white surfaces are dashed, splashed or stroked with colour. Simplistic sun imagery lies alongside squirls and waves which overlay photo etchings. Poetry and music also fascinate him.

Jamal’s modern touch, which is often applied in a seemingly random fashion, is only found in the most confident of artists. He is a master of the print-making process but a fine painter and draftsman too, often presenting a series of etchings or paintings in highly original book form. More recently he has begun working in three dimensions, a medium that appeals to this physical but deep thinking artist who is fast becoming recognized as an important player in the Middle Eastern art world.

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Altayeb Amer

Syrian artist Altayeb Amer (b 1971) studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts Damascus. In his capacity as a creative graphic designer his designs and ideas have been implemented in many of the global brands and local companies in the Middle East.  A true aesthete it is perhaps his passion for the creative arts – in particular painting that he has found his true calling.  Altayeb’s unending positivity and faith that God will help fulfill aspirations shines through his work. Bright colours and spontaneous brushstrokes are his trademark. The artist uses a blend of abstract expressionism and Sufi symbolism to convey his beliefs. – he is passionate  that ‘there can be no life without dreams” – his vibrant canvas conveying a message that is common to all beliefs that in life  “you get what you give”.

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