Zouhair Dabbagh

Zouhair Dabbagh (b. 1953) is a prize-winning Syrian artist who was born in Aleppo. He studied at Damascus University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Sculpture Department, obtaining his Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts in 1977.

Renowned for both his sculptures and paintings, Dabbagh was also awarded two scholarships from the Gulbenkian Foundation in Spain in 1997.

Dabbagh’s sculptures are wide-ranging in themes and form, often melding a figurative approach with abstraction. His pieces rooted in the human form often instil in viewers a sense of motion, heightened by flowing, undulating lines and elongated limbs, which are a hallmark of the artist’s style.

Often stylised, distorted and devoid of detail, Dabbagh’s figurative sculptures sometimes comprise little more than a torso or are missing limbs. However, by being captured in mid-movement or a telling posture, these silhouetted figures convey a diverse range of powerful sentiments spanning sorrow, resilience or surprise. Dabbagh’s oeuvre also features animal sculptures, including bulls and cockerels, that are completed in bronze and again, brought to life through instantly recognisable postures and stances, and a detailed, textured finish.

Figuration is also to the fore in Dabbagh’s paintings, which have an ethereal quality to them. Here, his figures, which vary from solitary subjects to couples, subtly emerge from a fluid, colourful background, barely visible yet revealing a powerful presence.

Dabbagh’s work can be found in public and private collections around the world, with exhibits permanently on show at the Damascus Museum, among other institutions. Collections featuring his work include those located in Turkey, Dubai, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Canada. 

Dabbagh has exhibited his work regularly since the 1970s, in shows as far afield as Singapore, Switzerland and Bulgaria. Recent solo exhibitions include shows at: Art on 56th Gallery, Beirut (2017); Art on 56th Gallery, Beirut (2014); Le Pont Gallery, Aleppo (2002); and Le Pont Gallery, Aleppo (2001).

Dabbagh has also participated in numerous group shows over the decades, including, most recently: ‘Where we Belong’, Art on 56th Gallery, Beirut (2024); ‘Summer Collective’, Art on 56th Gallery, Beirut (2024); ‘Art of the Hole and Lump’, Artscoops, Beirut (2023); Art Cairo (2022); ‘Collective’, Art on 56th Gallery, Beirut (2017); ‘The Middle East Modern and Contemporary Auction’, Artscoops, Beirut (2017); ‘The Middle East Modern and Contemporary Auction,’ Artscoops, Beirut (2016); ‘The Book Re-imagined’, Mojo Gallery, Dubai (2016); ‘Collective’, Art on 56th Gallery, Beirut (2015); ‘Art 14’, [Art on 56th Gallery], London (2014); ‘Summer Collective’, Art on 56th Gallery, Beirut (2013); Beirut Art Fair [Art on 56th Gallery] (2013); Contemporary Istanbul [Art on 56th Gallery] (2013); Richard Koh Fine Art Gallery, Singapore (2011); ‘Syrian Artists in Jabla’, Jabla Archaeological Stairs, Syria (2007); Dar Kalemat Gallery, Aleppo Capital of Culture, Aleppo National Museum (2006); ‘Think with your Hands’ exhibition tour competition winners, Cervantes Institute, Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and Latakya (2003); and ‘Women and War’, United Nations Office, Geneva (2002).

In 2024, Dabbagh’s Rooster in bronze won the Gallery Prize for Best Sculpture. He was also a prize-winner in the ‘Think with your Hand’ Cervantes Institute Art Competition in 2001.

Dabbagh has also held roles in instruction, including Head of Sculpture at the Department, Faculty of Fine Arts, Aleppo University (2006–2007).

Zouhair Dabbagh currently lives and works in Beirut.