Since the late 1990s, Syrian painter Omran Younis (b. 1971) has probed the psychological undercurrents of expressionist painting, building on a rich tradition of Syrian modernism that began when artists such as Fateh Moudarres used painting as a way of visualizing the unseen but palpable shifts in Syrian society in the mid twentieth century. Younis is steeped in this history yet remains committed to ongoing experimentation, actively pushing the boundaries of painting in search of ways to communicate the complexity of the human psyche and the physical responses that reveal its fragility, such as instances of fear and pain. This emphasis on the human condition makes works that were inspired by his surroundings in war-torn Syria categorically universal, resonating with viewers from the U.S. to the Middle East. His rich palette, characterized by shades of vermilion, sunburnt orange, lapis, and black, white, and grey, contrasts the warmth of the earth with the vastness of the sky, grounding his scenes in reality. In his most recent works, distinguished by thick, loose brushwork, prickly pear cacti stand in for the anonymous figures of earlier works, anthropomorphic representations of weathered yet resilient protagonists.
Younis received undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Damascus’ Faculty of Fine Arts in 1998 and 2000, respectively, and was the first prize recipient of the 3rd Annual Youth Competition in Damascus, among other awards. He has exhibited at galleries and art spaces across the Middle East, the United States, and Europe, including the Virginia Commonwealth University Gallery in Doha, Qatar, while his paintings are held in the collections of institutions and organizations such as the Atassi Foundation.