Ayyam Gallery is hosting The Infinite & The Finite, artist Khaled Akil’s inaugural solo exhibition in the Emirates. Featuring the series of his newest enigmatic artworks, it explores the realms of the unseen, the felt, and the omnipresent, seeking to capture the essence of existence. The show welcomes all visitors until the 25th of June, 2024.
In the exhibited collection of oil paintings, Akil tackles the challenge of portraying the intangible aspects of existence, spanning from the microcosm to the macrocosm. Employing light as the foundational element, the artist scrupulously constructs his compositions layer by layer. His intuitive technique of layering colours and textures imbues his art pieces with profound depth and complexity, evoking themes such as faith, energy, and emotion.
In essence, Akil’s body of work transcends mere representation and offers viewers a transcendent experience that highlights the interconnectedness of all things. Each brushstroke is a testament to the infinite possibilities contained within the universe, encouraging spectators to embark on a journey of self-discovery and cosmic exploration.
About the artist
The son of established Syrian painter Youssef Akil, Khaled Akil (b. 1986, Aleppo, Syria) is a multimedia artist residing in Istanbul who earned a BA in Law and Political Science from Beirut Arab University (Lebanon) in 2009. After graduating, he returned to Syria just before the Civil War and moved to Turkey in 2012.
Combining photography and painting in his practice, Akil explores some of the most challenging issues in contemporary Middle Eastern society. Particularly, he addresses social, political, and gender contradictions. The artist gained recognition for his series Pokémon Go in Syria, which depicted cartoon characters amidst war-torn Syrian landscapes. Since his immigration, he has delved into themes of identity, cosmic connectivity, and energy, developing a spiritual approach in his work.
Akil has been the subject of several solo exhibitions, such as Requiem for Syria (Brown University, Rhode Island, USA, 2018); Legend of Death (Chalabi Art Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey, 2013); The Unmentioned (Ladhd Art Gallery, London, UK, 2012); and Present Memories (Mustafa Ali Art Foundation, Damascus, Syria, 2010), to name a few. The artist has also participated in many group shows, which include Contemporary Istanbul (Gallery Miz, Istanbul, 2020); Kashash (Bozar Art Museum, Brussels, Belgium, 2019); Behind the Line (Langley Centennial Museum & Exhibition Centre, Canada, 2018); and others. In 2015, Akil was nominated by The V&A Museum for the Jameel Art Prize. His artworks can be found in the collections of the Barjeel Art Foundation (Sharjah) and the World Bank (Washington D.C, USA).
To get more information about The Infinite & The Finite, please visit the official web page of the show.
You might also be interested in attending The Sky of the Seven Valleys by Ala Ebtekar.
