Leila Heller Gallery is pleased to announce the first solo exhibition in the UAE of contemporary Lebanese artist Ali Chaaban, Anonymous Hours on view in Dubai from September 29th through November 7, 2019. 

As a Lebanese-Saudi artist living in Jeddah, Chaaban explores his own identity as an Arab man within in a Westernized society in the Middle East, yet tries to embrace Orientalism and his past to inspire new dialogue. Moved by human interaction, Chaaban creates intangible spaces to stimulate dialogue, leaving room for narrative and questions as well as  two characters – one which is involved in conversation and one which is observing it. In his superhero carpet works, the Arab man is not only an indirect self portrait of the artist, but also represents a dichotomy between the Westernized heroic figure who is seeking balance between the modern world and the rich historical Orientalist past ingrained within the artist’s heritage. The carpet is a prominent aspect of visual culture, and society’s mindful appreciation of the object as an Arab heirloom allows the artist to use it as a symbol of the Arab man, juxtaposing it with a contemporary portrait of a Western superhero.

To Chaaban, the idea of creating a work is not necessarily an aesthetic process, similar to the style of Marcel Duchamp. Instead, Chaaban approaches his work as a deconstruction of ideas and exploration of raw materials, bringing his audience back to his roots and consuming strictly the basics, with no additives. The textures within his works contain hidden messages and reveal elements that are unexpected yet integral to his artistic practice and identity.

Not only do Chaaban’s works discuss identity, but  they also address the digital age and technology as a dangerous departure from traditional reading and metaphysical exploration of self. In “They don’t make Nostalgia like they used to,” Chaaban discusses how millennials constantly refer to the past to reinvent the future rather than creating new and unique aesthetics of our modern times. This creates a post-contemporary era which is lost, revealing the toxicity of nostalgia and it’s darker side. Similarly, his works comment on the dangerous reliance of  digital information. “I Saw The Internet and the Internet Won,” reveals the treacherous world opened up by the internet in which people constantly seek validation.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Ali Cha’aban is a Lebanese-Saudi artist born and raised in Kuwait. He studied in Lebanon and Kuwait at the American University of Kuwait to attain his bachelors in anthropology.  Chaaban’s career in as an artist has been motivated by a desire to comment on sociopolitical events, and he employs his background in anthropology to trigger emotions in the viewer by knowing their way of thinking. Through his work, Chaaban connects his childhood memories and appreciation for carpets to contemporary art, confidently bringing the influence of pop art and comic strips to Arab aesthetics. He uses various media such as poster stickers on carpet to reveal superheroes in a playful yet timeless manner, bearing the signs of the influence of the contemporary world.