Dear friends of art and of the gaze of the resistance,

• FOUART GALLERY brings contemporary regional artists to the international stage and highlights issues of cultural imperialism.

• We have decided to reveal the Palestinian creation in what it is most contemporary in its forms of expression, in the subjects it addresses.

• Contemporary Palestinian art is inhabited by the possible / impossible disappearance of a society, a culture, a people and its territory, haunted by fragmentation, confinement, intimate tragedies, checkpoints, l exile, yet artists seek an expression other than documentary.

• No trace of propaganda, no appeal for compassion: they transform, transcend, say otherwise, singularly, use fiction, allegory, humor.

• Photographers, videographers, dancers, filmmakers, visual artists, musicians, performers claim recognition based not on their identity as Palestinians, but on their artistic approach alone.

• We chose Haissam Chamloni for his work on humans, history and freedom

• Of Palestinian origin, this former journalist had to flee Syria in 2012 with his wife and son.

• Haissam was born in Syria on April 20, 1968, he studied at the Adham Ismail Institute of Fine Arts, Damascus, Syria.

• What pushes Haissam towards painting and art in general are the years of suffering indeed he was imprisoned at the age of 17 by the terrible regime of Hafez El Assad for his political reasons and his activity as a Palestinian.

• In prison, he watched his fellow inmates who to kill time were doing embroidery with the means at hand on their T-shirts, it was the first time that he was introduced to drawing.

• After 3 years of captivity he meets another inmate in prison and this one is a renowned artist and recognized for his talent worldwide, we are talking about Talal Aboudan. This takes him under his wing and teaches him the basics of drawing and painting.

• On his release from prison, that's it, it's decided, Haissam will dedicate his life to painting and will join the prestigious school of fine arts in Damascus.

• He became an artist recognized in his country, his works were regularly exhibited in the company of those of international painters. He has exhibited in Iran at the Tehran Museum of Modern Art, in New York at the Gothic Institute, in Washington and in Senegal at the Memorial Museum ...

• Surrounded since his birth by war and death, he seeks to forget his pain in his art: “I try to move forward on the path of joy. "

• He likes to mix European and Eastern cultures, superimpose calligraphy, impose himself by a positive approach to life.

• I knew him personally when he was invited in residence at the city of the arts in Paris and I can tell you that I have rarely known a person so gentle and serene because for him to be in a free country despite the difficulties and working his art is already an immeasurable happiness.

• In general his paintings represent the Middle East and in particular Syria and Palestine, his beloved country, of which he cannot have a passport simply because he is not recognized internationally.

• A lot of influence from Jesus of Nazareth because his parents' village is called Tabghra in Palestine and it is a site steeped in history. The lake or the risen Jesus would have been invited by the apostles to share their meal.

• Let's look at some tables in detail; we see a powerful Arab thoroughbred symbol, a true cult devoted to him by the Arab peoples, for its beauty, its resistance, but above all as a symbol of freedom and that is what Haissam wants to show here.

• The reliefs represent the history of the region and the archeology of great wealth.

• It is a transitional territory at the crossroads of several worlds: the Mediterranean, Mesopotamia, Persia, India, Asia Minor, the lands of the Caucasus and Egypt. So Haissaim also represents the religions and writings of that time.

• Let us not forget that Syria has had an important part in the history of Christianity and its debates.

• In this other painting, we find our famous thoroughbred, he has his eyes closed and he dreams; He dreams of a country at peace, greenery and rediscovered happiness; quite simply his beloved Palestine which remains in his head his most beautiful dream ...

• On this painting which for me is extraordinary beauty to see in real life, Haissaim uses a very particular technique, he applies a large layer of acrylic paste, engraves a poem in Arabic calligraphy (which takes him an enormous amount of time, several weeks) then he applies colors in acrylic ink.

• This poem is the one in my eyes is the greatest Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish who died in 2008: "I defend the roses that yearn for your lips and the dust of the streets fearing your feet, and I defend my defense"

• In the 2nd painting which echoes like a diptych; we find a poem by Mahmoud: "Peace be upon the bird returning from the land of the sun to my window in exile"

• Mahmoud Darwish is a universal poet, a poet whose very personal images, nourished by the culture of the Levant, of Palestine, create instant echoes and emotions in the heart of the reader. This vibrant emotion is that of love and nostalgia, this language, of apparently biblical simplicity, which constantly interweaves stars and birds, the cosmos and dreams, the senses and the inner heart. , when I was a young student Mahmoud rocked my evenings because the Palestinian cause was in us and Mahmoud represented a lifeline.

• On this painting, which represents the shadow of Haissam, we see around his neck the keffiyeh representing the struggle of the Palestinians, its history and its land.

• I really like his poetic paintings about love and the counts of a thousand and one nights of Scheherazade.

• Here are dear friends of art, I hope you had a pleasant time with Haissam and his work.

• The FOUART GALLERY gallery has exceptionally broken the rule of exhibiting in particular African artists or artists under African influence but I wanted to heart and especially out of friendship to present the struggle of our artist friends who have an enormous talent and who fight with the weapon of art without violence and without hatred.

• FOUART GALLERY is always there thanks to you in resilience to show that there are other ways to fight.

• For those who are interested, I plan to do a conference debate on Palestinian art and the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish; please message me if you are interested.

• Please stand up with us and remember you are not alone.

• Fouad Saady