Suhair Sibai

Suhair Sibai was born in Syria in 1956. Through her work, Suhair explores the concepts of identity and the Self, using the female form as her preferred medium. According to Suhair, who was educated as an artist in the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, the level of multiculturalism and diversity to which many of us are exposed to these days has the potential to cause the discord, displacement, and division of the Self. As a result, as Suhair posits,

‘Ideas and ideals are mingled and morphed; metaphors are understood and misunderstood according to context and audience; cultures cross and clash. All the while, the authentic Self – if there is one – is via distortion, alteration, and compromise, made and unmade, struggling for accessibility to popular culture’.

Accordingly, Suhair strives to determine who we are as individuals, and how we came to end up in our current predicament. Using emotionally-charged colours, Suhair intentionally provides a contrast to the melancholic narratives, which are intended to ‘create alienation among audiences’. As well, the relatively large sizes of her works are meant to engage her viewers, and ultimately, by combining the emotional elements of her work with their own ‘biases’, Suhair’s audiences are able to experience something totally unique.

Suhair currently resides in Los Angeles, where she works as an artist full-time, and exhibits her work. In addition to LA, Suhair’s work has been received with great enthusiasm elsewhere around the world in Europe and the Middle East.

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2004 Eve – Truth and Deception, Al-Sayed Gallery, Damascus

Selected Group Exhibitions

1997 Museum of Lancaster, Lancaster (California)
1998 Al-Maktoum Art Gallery, Dubai
1998 Al-Shahba Art Gallery, Aleppo
2000 Annual Juried Show, California State University, Los Angeles
2001 Illustration West 39 Annual Exhibition, Los Angeles
2001 West Gallery @ California State University, Los Angeles
2004 Woman’s Vision, Khan As’ad Pasha Gallery, Damascus
2006 Brush of the Artist, Syrian Cultural Centre, Paris
2008 Women Artists, Centre of the Arts Gallery, Amman
2009 Three Artists from Syria, Syrian Cultural Centre, Paris
2011 Fall Art Salon, Public Art Centre, Damascus
2011 Albisan Art Studio, Mentor Art Center, Al-Khubar (Saudi Arabia)

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