The Opera Gallery Dubai will be launching a new solo exhibition by Marwan Chamaa. The latest edition to his Gharam wa Intiqam series “Chagrin D’Amour – the musical” will showcase the artist’s witty and charming works with his signature use of sarcasm and tongue-in-cheek pieces. The DIFC-based Opera Gallery will be hosting the launch with the presence of the artist on April 5.
Gharam wa Intiqam loosely translates to passion and revenge as well as being the name of a 1944 Egyptian drama film that had a huge emotional impact in the Arab world after the star died in a car crash while filming. “Chagrin D’Amour – the musical” focuses on love and all the good and bad that comes with it. Chamaa uses vintage western comics and vignettes of pieces from the legendary Roy Lichtenstein, and combining them with Arabic love song lyrics from the 1940s-60s. The use of pieces from Lichtenstein pays homage to the legendary artist who used comics to propel himself as one of the leading figures in the new art movement in the ’60s.
Marwan Chamaa is a renowned Lebanese artist. With an ever evolving career that began in the mid-eighties, Chamaa has always drawn inspiration from his surrounding environment. Having the fortune of spending time living in Beirut, Munich, and New York, Chamaa has managed to draw inspiration from all these places and implement them in his work with the aim of giving his audience an insight into the way he sees the world.
If you’ve seen his previous instalments “La Dolce Vita” and “Caramels, Superheroes, Fried Eggs et Chocolats”, then this exhibition continues to explore those themes. While the launch will be on the 5th of April, the works will be up and on display from April 1 to 14. Feel free to head on down and check them out for yourself.