Walid El Masri's Peacock Paintings Explore Sufi Myth of Self-Discovery
Walid El Masri's latest exhibition, 'The Mythical Birds,' features a series of abstract paintings centered around the peacock. The works are inspired by the 12th-century Sufi poem 'The Conference of the Birds' by Farid al Din Attar, which tells the tale of thirty birds, led by a hoopoe, in search of the mythical Sîmorgh, only to find that the Sîmorgh exists within themselves. El Masri uses the peacock to symbolize transformation and the pursuit of ideals, employing vibrant colors like gold, blue, and purple. He believes the peacock represents a journey through pain toward enlightenment. The exhibition also includes pieces from Cecile Sportis. El Masri, born in Syria in 1979, graduated in 2005 from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Damascus and has lived in France since 2011.
Key facts
- Walid El Masri's exhibition 'The Mythical Birds' features abstract paintings of peacocks inspired by Farid al Din Attar's poem 'The Conference of the Birds'.
- The poem tells of thirty birds seeking the mythical Sîmorgh, discovering it represents themselves.
- El Masri uses a palette of gold, blue, and purple to depict the peacock.
- The artist says the peacock allows him to escape painful events and find lightness.
- Text by Cecile Sportis accompanies the exhibition.
- El Masri was born in Syria in 1979, of Lebanese origin, and graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Damascus in 2005.
- He studied at the Summer Academy under Marwan Kasab Bashi and Ziad Dalloul at Darat Al Funun in Amman.
- He has exhibited at Egypt Art Fair (2021), Hong Kong Art Fair, Art Beijing (2009), and multiple institutions including Institut du Monde Arabe and Bozar.
- Solo exhibitions held in London, Paris, Jeddah, Beirut, Dubai, Damascus, Amman, and Cairo.
- El Masri has lived in France since 2011.
Entities
Artists
- Walid El Masri
- Farid al Din Attar
- Jean-Claude Carrière
- Peter Brook
- Marwan Kasab Bashi
- Ziad Dalloul
- Cecile Sportis
Institutions
- Faculty of Fine Arts in Damascus
- Summer Academy
- Darat Al Funun
- Egypt Art Fair
- Hong Kong Art Fair
- Art Beijing
- French Cultural Center
- Institute of Islamic Cultures in Paris
- Maison des Arts de Malakoff
- Institut du Monde Arabe
- Busan Museum of Art
- MUCEM
- Bozar
Locations
- Syria
- Damascus
- Amman
- Jordan
- Egypt
- Hong Kong
- Beijing
- Paris
- France
- Malakoff
- Marseille
- Brussels
- London
- Jeddah
- Beirut
- Dubai
- Cairo