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until 06.01. | #4087ARTatBerlin | Galerie Kornfeld shows from 18. November 2023 the exhibition Temporary Title by the artist Tammam Azzam.
The gallery is pleased to present new works by the Syrian artist Tammam Azzam, who lives in Berlin, in the exhibition “Temporary Title”. Guided by a general humanity, his pictorial collages find an artistic expression for the incessant suffering that people experience through unexpected attacks or wars by tyrannical rulers in the past, present and future. Creativity in the midst of fragmentation. The English expression “temporary title”, with which the artist titles his exhibition, can be translated in Arabic not only as “temporary title” but also as “temporary address” and refers to the homelessness of people who have had to leave their homes due to terror, war or hunger.
The artists from Syria have a unique cultural heritage and experience nature in all its facets. They know the uncertainties of life in a constantly changing environment. The ongoing state of war has left its mark on the country and makes it difficult to remember the past. But not all Syrian artists in the diaspora are war refugees.
Tammam Azzam, who has lived in Germany since 2016 and in Berlin with his family since 2018, deals with destruction and suffering in his works. His pictorial, often large-format paper collages show how artists find a visual expression for destruction and the search for solace. Landscapes can be seen, a road that leads straight into the depths of the picture, and again and again trees whose bare branches and twigs appear dark against monochrome blue, red or yellow skies.
The choice of artistic materials and the free, creative use of these are a key feature of Tammam Azzam’s new works. Professor Claus-Peter Haase comments: “The most important thing is the material and its varied use in the new pictures – once again predominantly paper scraps of all kinds, less frequently textile and organic parts. Above all, the tearing, crumpling and cutting as well as the smooth application of glue to different canvases in layers or the overpainting are impulsive changes and unpredictable. Tearing (Arabic: tamzîq) appears as a key term for something that sounds like the final destruction of previous function, but in its mosaic-like fragmentation contains vague, unpredictable opportunities and power for new composition. Positive things appear when one does not expect too precise a design of the new.”
At a time when the world recognises Syria as a country of war and destruction, at a time when terror, armed conflicts and wars are on the rise worldwide, Tammam Azzam shows that creativity can survive even in the most difficult of times. His works are an expression of resilience and hope in the midst of fragmentation.
Tammam Azzam (*1980, Damascus, Syria) lives and works in Berlin. He received his artistic training at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Damascus University. After the Syrian civil war, he moved to Dubai, where he began working with digital photomontages. In 2016, Azzam was invited to be an artist in residence at the Hanse Wissenschaftskolleg, Institute for Advanced Study in Delmenhorst. There, and later in Berlin, the artist began to explore a new technique of paper collage alongside his paintings. His fragmented compositions emphasise the physical remnants of conflict and show how important it is to rebuild from destruction and create something new. They pose questions, but do not provide answers. Above all, they enquire into the “Conditio Humana”, the general condition of mankind, whose destructive and disruptive forces bring suffering and despair into the world, but whose marvellous creations always give us cause for hope. This tragedy, but also this power to give hope, is at the centre of Tammam Azzam’s works, which create a completely new ensemble from fragments.
Vernissage: Saturday, 18 November 2023, 6-9 pm
Exhibition dates: Saturday, 18 November 2023 – Saturday, 6. January 2024
To the Gallery
Image caption: courtesy of Galerie Kornfeld, Tammam Azzam
Exhibition Tammam Azzam – Galerie Kornfeld | Zeitgenössische Kunst in Berlin | Contemporary Art | Exhibitions Berlin Galleries | ART at Berlin
