Untitled 7, 2018

Issa Halloum  

Born in Kuwait in 1968, Issa Halloum graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts at the Lebanese University in 1993, before pursuing studies in Artistic Anatomy at the Brera Academy in Milan in 1999. Halloum seeks his inspiration in nature. He depicts intricately textured landscapes with vivid colors and airy configurations on canvases and sculptures, where he plays with the surfaces and textures to create illusions of flatness. He paints from direct observation, carefully studying movement and light, engaging with these elements to create visual experiences rooted in the present moment. His palette is intense and expressive, revealing the significant influence of the great post-impressionist masters.

As with Cézanne and Gauguin, he is generous with colors and his brushstrokes are energetic. Both calming and seductive, his paintings with simplified forms have a tangible feel. Whether he is painting a bright landscape, a busy market scene, an intimate view from a balcony, or an anonymous model, the artist freezes the action and the bustle. Additionally, his paintings are expansive. Landscapes and scenes are given room to flourish, creating the impression that the images outstretch the margin of the canvas, celebrating the abundance of nature, while carrying an aesthetic incompleteness that suspends the momentum of the compositions.

Halloum has participated in several individual and collective exhibitions across the Middle East and abroad, notably in Lebanon, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Italy. His works are part of several regional and global private collections.