Fann À Porter presents Shams (“شمس,” Arabic for “sun”), a solo exhibition by Syrian artist Monif Ajaj. It features his latest body of work, in which he turns to nature, geometry, and symbolism to explore profound existential questions. Open to the public until 31 October 2025, the show offers a quiet yet powerful meditation on the dualities that define human experience: light and darkness, hope and danger, fragility and resilience.
Ajaj’s exhibited ink drawings on paper and acrylic paintings on canvas are inspired by the sunflower fields surrounding his home in the Dordogne region of southwest France. The flower’s radiant disk, spiralling seeds, and constant orientation toward the sun become metaphors for light, renewal, and enduring hope. At the same time, the artist introduces the image of the snake, an ancient symbol of both danger and healing, to suggest the tension between illumination and darkness, creation and decay. The dialogue between these two motifs lends the exhibition its emotional and philosophical depth, evoking the cycles of life and the transformative power that emerges from darkness.
In Shams, Ajaj moves away from the politically charged imagery that once defined his practice: works that directly confronted the violence and oppression of the Syrian conflict. Instead, he embraces a more contemplative, universal visual language. Yet, the psychological intensity remains. His compositions balance precise geometric structure with expressive rhythm, their layered surfaces revealing an artist who continues to wrestle with ideas of loss, endurance, and rebirth.
About the artist
Mounif Ajaj (b. 1968, Deir ez-Zor, Syria) has lived and worked in France since 2012. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Minsk (Belarus, 1995), he later taught art, including at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Damascus, and illustrated children’s books. His early drawings, often rooted in memories of Damascus and his childhood in Al Jezireh, use satire and caricature to examine Syrian society. By combining realism and expressionism, Ajaj highlights the psychological nuances of his subjects and comments on the political structures surrounding them.
Winner of the 2006 competition for young Syrian artists, Ajaj has exhibited extensively across the Middle East and Europe. His works can be found in significant public collections, such as the British Museum (London, UK), Darat al Funun (Amman, Jordan), the Syrian Ministry of Culture, and the Fonds Départemental d’Art Contemporain (FDAC) in Dordogne.
To get more information about Shams, please go to the official web page of the exhibition.
In addition, you might be interested in exploring Edges of Perception, a group show at Waddington Custot Gallery Dubai.
