An untitled work in acrylic on board.

Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

Acclaimed Lebanese self-taught artist Salwa Zeidan is showcasing her collection of sculptures and paintings at the Iyad Qanazea Gallery in Abu Dhabi (July 10 – Sept. 10). The show, titled ‘Minimalist Journey’, offers art enthusiasts an opportunity to immerse themselves in Zeidan’s profound abstract minimalist artistry. Zeidan’s work, renowned for its exploration of inner light and peace, is the result of two decades of artistic mastery and personal philosophy. Zeidan (b. 1956, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon), is a prominent painter, sculptor, curator and gallerist, who has made a significant impact on the art scene in Abu Dhabi, where she has been based for the past four decades. Her work spans various mediums, including mixed media paintings, conceptual art, stone sculptures and monumental works with stainless steel and composite materials.

For well over 35 years, she has focused on unrestricted self-expression, projecting profound truths, serenity, and enlightenment. A pioneer of abstract minimalist art in West Asia, she also integrates calligraphy in her creations. The spiral motif, symbolising human evolution and growth, is a central theme in her sculptures and paintings. Her minimalist abstract style is influenced by artists like Franz Kline, Pierre Soulages, and Antoni Tapies. Zeidan translates her sensitivity and flair for spirituality into lyricism. A master of the art of restraint, in the works shown in the gallery, she intertwines letterism, lyricism, expressionism and minimalism to create her own formal vocabulary, particularly in painting.

The black undulating stark lines and motifs in her drawings and paintings are reminiscent of bodies of knowledge. A deeper look at the conceptual structure of her figures reveals the divergence and convergence of personal emotions and aspirations. Her brushstrokes are limpid, yet powerful in their fragile and delicate elegance. Her abstract minimalist work stems from her spiritual nature and reflects her strong beliefs and ongoing search for inner light, consciousness and peace. “While painting,” she says, “I try to create a different shapes of my concerns, feelings, anxieties, joys and confusion ... they all turn into a spiritual source of energy which I try to release in my work.”

 Iyad Qanazea is the founder of Iyad Qanazea Gallery, right, Salwa Zeidan is based in Abu Dhabi.

She has exhibited her creations in many countries since 1989, and has participated in various art fairs and biennales around the world. Today, her paintings can be found in galleries and private collections internationally and regionally. In 1999, she was invited by the Royal Academy of Science International Trust in London to hold an exhibition dedicated to peace titled ‘Culture for Peace’; Zeidan is an active endorser of peace and dedicates all her private exhibitions to the cause.

In 2006, she became the Ambassador to Lebanon of the global organisation World Peace Marker Project (WPMP). She has won many prizes, including the fourth prize at the Florence Biennale - Italy, being one among 960 artists from 72 countries there. She has been an active member of several art associations regionally and internationally such as the Association of Artists Beirut, Lebanon; Exit Art, New York; IAC, Barcelona, Spain; and is a Member and Special Advisor for the AIAP UNESCO, France, to name a few. She lives and works in Abu Dhabi where manages her eponymous art gallery.

“Join us at the Iyad Qanazea Gallery to experience the unparalleled talent of Salwa Zeidan and delve into a world where art transcends boundaries and speaks to the soul,” says Iyad Qanazea, gallery owner. “Don’t miss this opportunity to witness the visionary creations of a well-recognised artist.” Iyad Qanazea is a Palestinian businessman and art supporter, who has been based in Abu Dhabi since 2018. He established the Iyad Qanazea Gallery a year ago in Abu Dhabi. “The gallery is committed to showcasing artists from the UAE and the Arab world,” he says. He has worked on supporting the artist community in Palestine, UAE, Morocco and elsewhere in the MENA region.

Iyad is committed to supporting the market for these artists; it is his firm belief that without economic backing, they will not prosper and find their deserved place in art history. “We are proud to be one of the early independent contemporary art galleries to open in Abu Dhabi in the heart of the city, representing a community of artists from the UAE and the Arab world,” he says. Located in Al Mina Street, the gallery is hosted between old Abu Dhabi city in Al Zahiyah and the Tourist Club residential areas, while facing the crossroads to Abu Dhabi’s new cultural districts in Mina Zayed and Saadiyat.

The gallery’s larger mandate is to showcase artists from West Asia, North Africa and South Asia, extending into the Global South. “Abu Dhabi is a city of crossroads and one that has spread its arms to embrace this region,” Iyad says. “The gallery wants to be a beacon that conveys the same spirit. We have shown works from artists who were the leading pioneers of thought, and their poems and paintings in Abu Dhabi, such as veteran artist and poet Mohammed Al Mazrouei and other voices from the region, both young and established, which are contemporary voices that carry the hopes and dreams for a new world of peace and prosperity. The gallery has already exhibited the likes of Palestinian Chicago-based artist Asma Ghanem, Emirati artist Mahra Al Falahi, Lebanese artist Salwa Zeidan and represents artists like Latifa Saeed and Rawdha Al Ketbi.”