‘NO MASK REQUIRED’ a group exhibition is being held at XVA gallery in Dubai

Join us from the 17th of May – 15th of September 2022 to discover the depth of representing human features, exhibiting at XVA Gallery.

Iranart:No Mask Required exhibits an in-depth study of the face. As a mirror to one’s innermost thoughts, the face is the depiction of one’s journey and what molds us into who we are. This selection of artists come together bringing cultural individuality and variety of techniques to depict their perception of the human form. With a unicity of mediums ranging from 18th century frames and scratched mirrors to photographic lambda prints, No Mask Required, aims to challenge the notion of a portrait.

About the Artists

Encompassing the Middle East and Europe, No Mask Required highlights works from:

Al Braithwaite
A contemporary artist from London, Braithwaite works across a variety of disciplines including sculpture, assemblage, found material and installation. His work fits into a tradition of conceptual art, recalling Dada, Surrealism, Fluxus, and aspects of Orphism.

Halim Al Karim
With photography as his chosen medium, the artist chooses to depict his experiences using conceptually expressive imagery, continuing with his experimental practice. Innovations in digitization allowed Al Karim to further develop his illusionary technique and extend the use of the medium. The impact of wars and the related pursuit of truth and humanity remained the central focus of the artist’s work.

Jonathan Gent
Having studied at The Cheshire School of Art and The Edinburgh School of Art respectively, Gent’s paintings have been exhibited widely throughout the world including Edinburgh’s Scottish national Gallery, The Saatchi Gallery, The Freud Museum, and has recently held solo shows in Dubai, Los Angeles, New York and London. Gent has gained a strong reputation with collectors including Tilda Swinton, Robin Vousden, Rami Farook, Samantha Morton, Aimee Mullins, Simon Hillary, John Papsidera, David and Tia Hoberman.

Raghd Coussa
Coussa seeks to explore what he takes to be the permanent relevance of figuration. Central to his work is an unrelenting desire to represent the human figure and the human head. He reflects on a representation absent of meaning and narrative. In doing so, he hopes the visual language becomes louder, and more direct, through its ambiguity.

Sabhan Adam
His colored characters are formed in a violent way that indicates a deep rebel psychology that exceeds the entire impressionist and pictorial school techniques, which sometimes fail to express themselves. Sabhan Adam emphasizes that his human creations are attached to the pain, fear and phobia which our society constantly suffers from.

Yazid Oulab
He tackles and questions topics such as the meaning of life together with values of family, trying to close the distance between the tangible and the ethereal. He is considered a multimedia artist, delving in sculpture, drawings and video installations. One key feature is the importance he gives to the perfectioning of the repetitive act through his creation process.

By gallery website