The TJ Fine Art Gallery is hosting a solo art exhibition entitled Carnaval of Darwiches. This will be featuring the works of Raouf Rifai from Lebanon. This show will be a collection of the artists works in the past few years.
In 2008, Rifai introduced the Darwiche where he expressed the point of departure from his more renowned signature works. The subject matter is a folk character that Rifai created to symbolize the common man and using this as the central theme, is able to produce some very remarkable art pieces.
The word is inspired through the Arabic word which means a simple minded person and through this persona, Rifai projects a unique and varied cultural icon of his mindset.
There are different visuals Rifai uses to depict Darwiche where he projects the human existence while emphasizing on the overall imperfections of the common person. Through his background, he uses Middle Eastern symbols as part of his work while he incorporates certain local elements like the Songkok known among the communities of Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
For this show, Rifai has selected a collection of paintings that depict the social and political conundrums of the Middle East, one which he says somewhat resembles a circus, a play that have a variety of characters.
Opening Hours: Mondays Saturdays: 12.30pm 6.30pm
