Ziad Dalloul

Abstract

From his earliest exhibitions in the 1970s, Dalloul distinguished himself by departing from prevailing local movements and pursuing both thematic and technical renewal, thereby establishing a singular artistic approach. He studied printmaking in Damascus from 1972 to 1976 and continued his studies in Paris from 1984 to 1987, where he has lived and worked since. Nowadays, Dalloul is one of the most established artists from Syria. His work has been exhibited in major institutions, including the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, the Shoman Foundation in Amman, and the Orestiadi Foundation in Palermo. For over two decades, Dalloul’s work has focused on two recurring themes: The Celebration of the Absent and Things at Rest. Rooted in a pantheistic conception of painting that places nature at its centre, his practice explores thresholds and transitions between the interior and the exterior, the visible and the invisible, and presence and absence.

Biography

Born in Sweida, Syria, in 1953, Ziad Dalloul demonstrated an early interest in poetry and painting. At 16, he began creating artworks and writing, presenting his initial works and reciting short stories at his hometown's cultural centre. In 1970, he held his first painting exhibition at this venue.

In 1972, Dalloul relocated to Damascus to study at the Faculty of Fine Arts, graduating in 1977. That year, he held his first solo exhibition in Damascus at the Urnina Gallery for Modern Art, where he presented both paintings and prints. The exhibition brochure was authored by Mahmoud Hammad (1923–1988).

Several exhibitions in the 1970s demonstrated his intention to diverge from prevailing local artistic trends and introduce both thematic and technical innovations. Notably, the exhibition at Salat al-Shaab was his final show before relocating to Algiers in 1980.

In Algiers, he was responsible for restructuring art education programmes in Algerian schools. He taught at the Technological Institute of Algiers, demonstrating his dedication to pedagogy and the dissemination of artistic knowledge. Over four years in Algeria, he travelled extensively across the country, drawn to the desert landscapes and the Mediterranean coastline. He exhibited at Galerie Racim and participated in numerous artistic events.

His first trip to Europe in 1981 marked the beginning of regular stays in France and Spain. In 1984, he decided to settle in Paris and enrolled at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (ENSAD), from which he graduated in 1987.

During this period, he completed two decisive projects that advanced his artistic research. The first, Circonstance de lieu, is a series of large-format engravings made using the carborundum technique, which facilitated a closer relationship between printmaking and painting. The second, Carnets de musées, engages in a dialogue with the history of painting. This series combines painting and printmaking on the same support, centered around a pasted reproduction of a mythical pictorial work. These works exemplify the artistic vision that Dalloul would later refine. Unlike many 20th century modern painters who distanced themselves from classical traditions, Dalloul intentionally grounded his practice in ancestral techniques.

During the 1980s, he became integrated into the Parisian art scene, establishing connections with numerous artists and intellectuals. During this period, he also met the Syrian poet Adonis, with whom he collaborated on several artists’ books.

In 1994, he was awarded the Gold Medal at the International Graphic Triennial in Cairo, and in 1997, the Triennial dedicated a solo exhibition to his work. In 1996, he exhibited in Damascus at both the French Cultural Center and the Atassi Gallery in a dual exhibition. In 1997, Darat Al Funun in Amman, Jordan, hosted an exhibition of his work, and he returned there in 2005 to direct its Summer Academy.

From the late 1990s through the 2000s, Dalloul increasingly turned to oil painting on large-format canvases and Japanese paper. In 2005, the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris organised a major exhibition bringing together paintings, prints, and artists’ books. Two essays—A Jubilation of Lived Space by art historian Pierre Cabanne and Celebration of Vision and Sight by Adonis—were published in the exhibition catalogue.

Galerie Claude Bernard has represented him in Paris since 2007. In the catalogue of the 2008 exhibition, he published his poems translated into French for the first time under the title Carnet de bord. In 2015, he exhibited his series Celebration of the Absent there.

The artist rejects the term “still life,” preferring instead “silent nature,” derived from the Arabic al-tabī‘a al-ṣāmita, or even more aptly, “things at rest,” a way of infusing human presence into elements. His artistic approach goes beyond simple representation: for him, it is about “entering the landscape,” deconstructing and reconstructing it through memory and imagination—where the intimate and the collective become a field of visual expression.

Dalloul has repeatedly engaged with major masterpieces from art history, producing interpretations that align with his Carnets de musées series yet are marked by a distinctly painterly technique. He references renowned Renaissance artists such as Titian and Tintoretto, thereby creating a dialogue between their artistic methods and his own practice.

Dalloul has established a distinctive aesthetic characterised by recurring motifs and symbols that evoke memory, dreams, and recollection. His work reveals the presence of humanity through its absence from the canvas. The paintings integrate domestic interiors and everyday objects such as tables, chairs, beds, and curtains with natural elements, including water, light, and landscapes. ​

Two central themes structure and underpin his work: The Celebration of the Absent and Things at Rest. Through these themes, Dalloul examines nature from a philosophical perspective, dissolving boundaries between humanity and the universe, between elements and senses, and between lived experience and imagination. His art prioritises evocation and intuition rather than direct description.

His works are included in public collections worldwide, such as the British Museum in London, the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, the Khaled Shoman Foundation in Amman, the Barjeel Art Foundation in Sharjah, the Dalloul Art Foundation in Beirut, the Al Mansouria Foundation in Jeddah and the Atassi Foundation.

Bibliography

Dalloul, Institut du monde arabe, Paris, 2005 (Essays by Adonis and Pierre Cabane)

Dalloul, (cat.exp), Centre culturel Jacques Brel, Thionville, 2006 (Essay by Malek Alloula)

Ziad Dalloul, Peintures 2001-2008 Galerie Claude Bernard, Paris, 2008

Ziad Dalloul

Célébration des absents, Ziad Dalloul, Galerie Claude Bernard, Paris, 2015 (Essay by Venus Khoury-Ghata)

Ziad Dalloul, Al Mansouria Foundation for Culture and Creativity, 2012

Contemporary art in Syria 1898-1998 : الفن التشكيلي المعاصر في سورية 1898-1998, Galerie Atassi, Damas, 1999