Jane Gemayel to exhibit in Dubai in January 2022
13 décembre 2021
Gemayel's first series, titled Woman, Heart, Innocence had already announced the universal themes at the heart of her art. Then came her tribute to poet Khalil Gibran's work The Prophet, a book that has guided her for over 40 years and that she illustrated for an edition published in 2015.
This choice to illustrate is a reaction to the aesthetic research that Gemayel will base on the depiction of the human, preferably female, body in search of ideal beauty. Infused with a classic legacy she shares with the masters who inspired her, such as Matisse and Klimt, Gemayel records the movement of the body in black in, with a sure and spontaneous line. Within the drawing, the sense of movement is expressed through the use of arabesque motifs and dense lines executed in black ink in the manner of a calligrapher. Sometimes color crops up in the form of flat acrylic paint in true shades: red or dark blue. Sacred, refined, these shapes nevertheless give off a fragile beauty.
Her affinity for the opinions of poet Khalil Gibran results in an abundant production. A shape emerges from each of the poet's ideas. Gemayel extends the writing with unsettling ease, whereas her work is the fruit of a long meditation on the world. The black boxes bear witness to this—these intimate boxes in which the artist meticulously collects all the content of her work: quotes, newspaper clippings, notes, associations of ideas and colors...
With the 2016 series News as Muse, Gemayel's work takes a turn. The written word and image remain the premise. The introduction of world news that the artist takes full force through the media—TV or international press—gives her drawing a documentary value. Gemayel questions our relationship with power and politics, marvels at the future of man and our planet, and denounces the loss of the values so dear to her: love, tolerance, peace, and freedom. What was a poetic and spiritual celebration in The Prophet becomes pain and condemnation.
Gemayel's work bears witness to her outlook on her time and exposes the scars of an observation of the suffering of a world she secretly hopes to save.
25 of Jane Gemayel's pieces of art will be exhibited at the Monaco Pavilion as part of the world expo in Dubai, where a space will be transformed into an art gallery on January 12 and 13. As a cultural center, GFM will organize this exhibit by handling the logistics of the event (selection of artwork, set design, installation, and breakdown) and creating the exhibit catalog.