Fadi El Chamaa
Follow ArtistFadi El Chamaa: A Journey Through Self-Taught Artistry
Fadi El Chamaa is a self-taught, multi-process Lebanese artist who was born in Beirut and is based in Baabdat, Mount Lebanon. An avid reader as a child, he also became interested in photography in his teens, inspired by his father, who was a keen amateur photographer. Both of these interests contributed significantly to his art and the direction it took.
From Photography to Painting: The Evolution of El Chamaa’s Art
In his early twenties, El Chamaa began adding paint in colourful pastels to developed photographs in a move that marked the beginning of his transition to painting.
While carving his niche as a painter, El Chamaa worked in advertising as a copywriter in a role that involved extensive travel to major cities across the region and beyond, from Beirut, Damascus and Doha to Manama, Riyadh and Cairo. Each centre, with its rich cultural heritage and diverse mix of social and ethnic communities, proved inspiring for El Chamaa. The resulting art ranges from portraits drawing on personalities of historical significance to abstract landscapes, which are brought to life with spontaneous brushstrokes in a varied palette of colours.
The Interplay of Human, Animal, and Nature in El Chamaa's Work
His fascination with the way people, the animal world and nature interact is also evident in his work, notably in the way he blurs the lines between his treatment of figurative and scenic subjects.
Emotional Landscapes: Capturing Feelings Through Colors and Textures
Among El Chamaa’s recent works are paintings which he has described as emotional landscapes. These include a countryside view from his studio, completed in shades of green and blue, in water colours and textured material.
Other scenes captured include the snow-covered peaks of the Sannine mountains, featuring intersecting and overlapping air bubble shapes.
Commenting on these works, he said: “As the years go by, I am less and less interested in how people and things really look like, their features, colour, anatomy, style, etc. Today, I am interested in portraying the full depth and complexity of how they make me feel.”
Exhibition Milestones: From Beirut to the International Stage
El Chamaa’s work has been exhibited extensively since the 1990s, when he took part in the Salon d’Automne group shows at the Sursock Museum (1993 – 1996) and had his first solo show at Rochane Gallery, Beirut (1997).
More recently, his solo exhibitions have included: ‘The Disappearing Act’, Lynn Modallal Gallery, Beirut (2023); ‘Fuqa’a’, Galerie Janine Rubeiz, Beirut (2022); ‘Mamnou3 El Tehzib’, SWTE, Beirut (2020); ‘And Tomorrow Who Am I?’, Artlab Gallery, Beirut (2019); ‘Deviations’, Galleria Soul Egypt, El Gouna (2016); and ‘Transformations’, Joanna Seikali Gallery, Beirut (2011).
He has also taken part in several group shows in recent years, including: Volta Art Fair, Walls House of Art Gallery, New York (2023); ‘La Tête Dans Les Nuages (with Caleen Ladki), Walls House Of Art Gallery’, Abidjan, Ivory Coast (2023); ‘Not Today’, Lynn Modallal Gallery, Beirut (2023); ‘Hey You’, artist-curated collective show, KAF Contemporary Art Gallery, Beirut (2022); ‘Electicism’, Dune Art Station, Dubai (2022); ‘True Colors’, Fltrd Gallery, Dubai (2021); ‘Madman’, Galerie Beibei, Shanghai, China (2021); ‘Wajihāt’, Janine Rubeiz Gallery, Beirut (2021); ‘The Collective’, Galerie BeiBei, Shanghai, China (2020); ‘Raw’, KAF Contemporary Art Gallery, Beirut (2019); ‘Peace of Liberty’, Gebran Tueni Foundation, Beirut (2019); ‘Sleeping With The Enemy’, KAF Contemporary Art Gallery, Beirut (2019); ‘The Collective’, KAF Contemporary Art Gallery, Beirut (2019); ‘HOC EVA’, Eve Liebe Gallery, London (2019); ‘From the Artist’s Studio’, KAF Contemporary Art Gallery, Beirut (2018); ‘El Chamaa Vs Khawam’, Rochane Gallery, Beirut (2016); ‘Utopian Identity’, Gallery 59, Paris (2016). ‘Strange Fruits’, Wood of Joy, Baabdat (2015); and ‘Mapping Soul’, Gallery 59, Paris, France (2012).
Living and Creating in Baabdat: El Chamaa’s Ongoing Artistic Endeavors
El Chamaa continues to live and work in Baabdat, adopting his hallmark approach of experimentation and putting new ideas into practice.
- The Collective - 2019 in KAF Contemporary Art Gallery Beirut / Beirut / Lebanon
- HOC EVA Group show curated by Selena Cerami - 2019 in / London / United Kingdom
- A Peace of Liberty - 2019 in Gebran Tueni Foundation, Maison Libanaise / Beirut / Lebanon
- And Tomorrow Who Am I? - 2019 in Artlab Gallery / Beirut / Lebanon
- From the Artist’s Studio - 2018 in KAF Contemporary Art Gallery Beirut / Beirut / Lebanon