Imad Fakhry (b.1974, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon) comes from a family of artists. He studied at the Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts (ALBA) and received his Master’s degree from the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Cergy-Paris and the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris. Under the guidance of French artist Yannick Guéguan, he pursued courses and workshops in decorative painting and trompe l’oeil.
Fakhry has participated in several solo and group exhibitions in Lebanon and abroad, including in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 2000, he received the ABN AMRO Bank Prize, and in 2007, he was nominated for the Young Creative Awards at UNESCO in Beirut. In 2008, he represented Lebanon at the Triennial of Rhodes with his etchings and engravings, and in 2016, he won the Dr. Chaouki Chamoun Prize.
Since 2003, Fakhry has taught drawing, sketching, etching, and trompe-l’oeil at ALBA.
Between the Solidity of Form and the Rebellion of Color
Imad Fakhry's Paintings Navigate with Confidence
He carves his artistic path with careful professionalism, deliberate and thoughtful steps, while making firm, confident strides forward. Through his exploration of art history, he understands local and global experiences, past and present expression, and the journey of artistic evolution that is both long and arduous, requiring relentless research, dedication, struggle, commitment, testing, and openness. It also requires courage, adventure, and risk-taking.
As I observe the paintings, it becomes evident that Imad subjects his themes to strict structural rules and conditions of naturalistic representation, focusing on the depiction of people, environments, dimensions, tables, places, and dogs. In some sense, this might evoke repetition and stagnation, however, the artist is well aware of the risk and its limitations. As a remedy, he transforms color into an active element, challenging academic realism, seeking liberation, and breaking free from representational constraints. He aspires to embrace modernity, considering color as a crucial aspect, and the key to personal and individual expression.
While the works possess a certain stability and strength, they are not identical in tempo and tone. Some are academic, while others are rebellious, and some exhibit a violent use of color, while others take risks. A few even touch upon abstract freedom, shedding the burden of representation. The artist is well-versed in the fundamentals and principles of composition, proportions, dimensions, and colors, and how to blend and synthesize them, creating vivid and layered compositions. This expertise allows him to experiment with the canvas's texture, capture its sensations, desires, and longings. It also enables him to comprehend the relationships between space, dimension, brushstroke, and color, granting his hand the freedom to move realistically and expressively, especially when painting characters. He breathes life into their facial expressions, hands, gazes, movements, and rhythms, gripping them with artistic ease.
The gatherings in his paintings are intimate, creative, lively, and rich in language, yet they are also gloriously silent.This characteristic allows his "heroes" to communicate and engage with the observer, who can delve into their individuality, freedom, and internal realms. This "family" dimension adds an additional warmth to his paintings,multiplying as these "heroes" reside deep in his subconscious mind and dreams. This opens up his work to numerous possibilities and profound interpretations. If our painter persists in research, exploration, excavation and continuous probing in this area, he will undoubtedly reach layers and levels of artistic expression, allowing him to dare to push his evolution further. His aim is to create an oeuvre with a personal and unique narrative, self-sufficient in its simplicity and dynamism, free from limiting influences and details.
Akl Al Awit