Fann A Porter Dubai and The Workshop are pleased to present One Flower is Enough to Fix the World, a retrospective exhibition by Majd Kurdieh. Six years on and as whimsical as ever, the second edition of this retrospective exhibition embodies the journey of Majd Kurdieh’s art and his commitment to deliver an understanding of the human experience.
It begins with The Land Needs Ironing (2014-2017), a series begun in a decade fraught with war. Kurdieh chose his brush as a weapon, depicting peaceful yet powerful messages that shake up the quiet settings of a gallery. Highlighting painful fault lines created by political upheaval, he manages to tend to what remains of innocence, calling on the Samsh and the Fasaeen to lead the way to brighter days.
True to its name, Stealing Sadness (2017-2018) depicts The Very Scary Butterfly Gang on a mission. Prerequisites of sadness thieves include a light touch and a lighthearted spirit to boot. Though their name may be scary, The Butterfly Gang only wish to replace sadness, which can often feel as heavy and huge as a whale, with a feather to help you rise above your sorrows and the barriers that separate us as humans.
As time goes by, so too does the story of The Gang. In his series, Surrender to Love (2018-Ongoing), Kurdieh’s characters are all softness, both figuratively and literally as they’ve shed their previous outlines and by default, their confines. They are, afterall, surrendering to the greatest power.
A striking contrast is presented in Hold Onto The Flower (2019), an ink on paper series ironically portrayed in black and white. Kurdieh’s famous cast of characters have remained the same in name, however, his proclivity for expressing complex realities through simple visuals has evolved through each series as the characters appear technically enhanced on the canvas. Joining their number in Hold Onto The Flower is Mr. Mouse, for whom nothing is impossible, and who raises the Sun Flag in the face of storms. In his 2020 series, We Continue To Raise The Flag Of The Sun, a certain member is featured more prominently: The Cactus. In Arabic, “cactus” and “patience” are the same word and the new Gang member represents this virtue time and again, particularly in the vibrant watercolor scenes. A fitting conclusion, if only for now, to the continuing story.
The concepts of home, love, devotion and sadness ring strong in all his creations. Kurdieh is masterful in his ability to express our realities through the strokes of his brush and the power of his words. As noted by the artist himself, his art and its characters are of this world, not merely a fantasy. If you care to look deeply enough, he offers a portal to a place of hope and togetherness should you wish to experience it.
