Interested in capturing the unreliable nature of memory and the familiar uncertainty of lived experience, Houssam Ballan pursues a figurative practice to give insights into the daily life of people in his home country of Syria as well as upon the general human condition. His characters are captured in relief and take inspiration from ancient Roman portraits as well as from the oriental Orthodox icons of Fayyoum. Their expressions are loaded with emotion, despite being mostly imprecise and at times, movement is implied, although it remains subtle.
The artist also has a clear dedication to colour, describing his process as delving into individual colours to find a vast world of expression within each one. Here, the musical reference in the exhibition’s title comes into context because, just as a musical composer uses a scale of notes from which to write his music, Ballan has a scale or “maqam” of colours allowing each one to take its full value within his paintings.
Whilst many of the works may seem to depict every-day scenes: women shopping; a wedding dance, a couple kissing; or an orchestra playing, there are several other works inspired by classical paintings, ancient societies or scenes from biblical or literature stories. In one piece, Ballan’s figures morph – at times limbless – in front of a deep blue background reminiscent of a battle scene. The subject, as described by the artist, is about two groups of people on either side of a river coming together against a figure of authority. This work was affected by a mural done on rocks in Australia but also carries the title of El Guernica, after Picasso’s famous antiwar painting.
In another piece, two men with imprecise outlines and faces contorted in struggle, fight in a confined space. Taking inspiration from Goya’s seminal work Two Peasants Fighting. In another particularly striking piece, narrating the story of the head of John the Baptist, loosely depicted figures swirl in gloomy monotone shades around the chopped head at the centre. Inspired by the dark and shadowy style of Caravaggio as well as the artist’s subject matter, this piece explores the murky concept of subverted power. Ballan draws his viewer into a myriad of questions looking for answers but finding only an internal journey.
Ghada Kunash, founder and curator at Fann A Porter says: “Houssam highlights the contrasts and contradictions of our daily lives. He manages to capture happiness and tragedy at the same time, painting every day scenes of children playing or people dancing at weddings while the war serves as a backdrop. In his work, we see a whole range of emotions from people falling in love to people fighting and deceiving each other. Although everyone is different, the common factor is that all of the characters are imprisoned, confined within the same cold walls and scarce conditions of war.”
Motif is the largest exhibition of Ballan’s work to date and the size and scale of this exhibition gives a full perspective across his wide and prolific practice, offering an insight into modern concerns that existed in ancient stories of the human race