The exhibition took place from February 17 to March 2, with a vernissage on February 18, 2016, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
I did this body of work while fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, listening to the Holy Quran recitation and Islamic music, inviting inner peace, reflecting it on the canvas to share it with you, and trying to make sense of living in a world that is losing its peace.
I found myself in many awkward situations being who I am; a Muslim, Arab, of Palestinian origins from Gaza city woman yet Canadian for the last 20+ years. Respecting my roots and who I am today, I would love to invite you into my Peaceful zone.
I was in a high spiritual state while painting these abstract narratives, which affected the imagery I created and the color choice based on a mixture of feelings: warmth, serenity, acceptance, and hopefulness. I used some elements to express my thoughts and feelings, such as anthropomorphic symbols and archaeological forms that suggest places and spaces in time.
It all started when my brother gave me a journal with blank pages as a gift. Being unable to paint during this period of time due to a lung problem made me use the blank pages of that journal as my space to express myself using a black ink pen. My journal is called “Thoughts without Words”; year- after- year, it had become my best friend.
After recovering from the lung collapse, I decided to go back to painting with colors, expressing my thoughts and feelings freely on the canvas. Using acrylics as a new medium challenged me to adapt to it which was part of the process. Reaching this state of spirituality, self-discipline, and self-control, I was able to invite inner peace within, and
I am hoping that (Peace, Pace, Paix, Salam سلام, Shalom שלום, мир, ειρήνη) will be upon the whole world!
With love,
Assel El-Rayes