Christmas Sales 2012

Lahd Gallery is pleased to announce it's 2012 Christmas Sale! We will have a spectacular array of art on offer, from a variety of different contemporary artists. The sale will be on till 10th January 2013, don't miss it! Please contact the gallery for more information as to what is on offer.

Finally from all of us at Lahd Gallery we would like to wish you a very enjoyable holiday season and a wonderful New Year!

Affordable Art Fair Hampstead 2012

This years Affordable Art Fair Hampstead looks set to impress with exhibits from over 100 galleries, including an exciting collection from Lahd Gallery for the first time! 

The Affordable Art Fair prides itself on its accessibility and friendly 
atmosphere, and caters for everyone from first time buyers to avid collectors.  Not only will there be a huge range of art to see but the event will also be packed full of activities including education programmes, workshops and talks.




Our confirmed artists so far are: 

Irini Gonou, a Greek artist whose work portrays elements of healing and protection within ancient traditions from different cultures. Gonou's work is created using raw materials, and brings the viewer back to ancient times of rituals and beliefs.





Hamid Naseer who through calligraphy looks for new inventive ways to represent colour through observing several works from the famous and renowned calligraphic artists. Hamid Naseer feels that the art of calligraphy has enabled him to connect to the unspoken secrets of life.









French artist Julien Breton, who has developed his own unique form of virtual calligraphy, based on a Latin-style alphabet and inspired by an Arabic and Eastern aesthetic. With a multi-cultural take on calligraphy, Breton’s work incorporates the cultural identity and style of East and West, often taking inspiration from western philosophy, hip hop and street art.



Nabeela Al Khayer, through her paintings she celebrates femininity. Al Khayer's use of warm colours and disjointed yet expressive portraits create a truly unique style.

From up and coming artists to some of the biggest names in contemporary art there really will be something for everyone, we hope you can attend!

AAF Hampstead will run from 1st - 4th November 2012, for more information or to book tickets please visit http://affordableartfair.com/hampstead/

Wadia Boutaba: A Moroccan Art Feast

Lahd Gallery is proud to present it's latest exhibition "A Moroccan Art Feast" by artist Wadia Boutaba.  Wadia was born in the U.K. to Moroccan parents, and her paintings depict her heritage and draw on the rich and diverse culture of Morocco. Her paintings are, as she herself describes, "full of colour", and they really are; packed full of vibrancy and bold strokes.

Wadia uses art as a means to express her dual heritage and the challenges from this she has faced since early childhood, and draws on potent memories and experiences from her life for her work. Her art shows that one does not have to be confined to the environment one was raised in, Wadia tries to live like a Moroccan, think like one, and 
even feel like one.

Wadia believes that art can bring people from all different cultures and backgrounds together, and this was really proven at the opening for the exhibition where a fantastic show of guests turned up to appreciate and celebrate her work.  The artist was there herself to meet those who had come to see her paintings and talk about her art. 


Speaking to Wadia she explains how memories, feelings and past experiences define her work, she doesn't know what she is going to paint until she begins to work on the canvas, but utilizes these subconscious thoughts to create her art.  Therefore her paintings aren't always of a specific person or memory, but a manifestation of her reminiscence.


"A Moroccan Art Feast" is running till the 12th December 2012, we hope you can come and see the exhibition!

We are delighted to announce that Lahd Gallery is participating in View 2012, a charity event dedicated to raising money for Marie Curie Cancer Care.  View 2012 will consist of two auctions including artwork generously donated by artists to aid Marie Curie.

This event is taking place at the prestigious Saatchi Gallery, London, that houses works by some of the biggest names in contemporary art. The Saatchi Gallery has kindly been working with Marie Curie to raise awareness of an incredibly important and beneficial charity.

Marie Curie Cancer Care is one of the foremost charities in aiding cancer sufferers, and the support of this charity is vital in providing quality care for those affected by the disease, and to fund research into treatments and ways to help prevent cancer from afflicting future generations. View 2012 in particular is also providing funding for Marie Curie's art strategy that aims to use art as a means of improving it's hospices.

At the event there will be a silent auction of contemporary art and a live auction of "money-can't-buy experiences." Lahd Gallery is very proud to be a member of the Marie Curie Art Event Committee, and several of our artists' work are being featured in the silent auction.  Our artists include Kuwaiti artist Shurooq Amin, Turkish sculptor Ugur Caki, French Arabic Calligrapher Julien Breton and Greek/Arabic mystical artist Irini Gonou.

Marie Curie Cancer Care View 2012 is being held at Saatchi Gallery, London at 7.30pm on Thursday 4th October 2012.

Alexander (2011) - Ugur Caki

The Sheltering Word (2010) - Irini Gonou

Aerial (2011) - Julien Breton

This year London plays host to the Olympic Games. With the aim of implementing one of the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter, which states, inter alia, that Olympism blends sports with arts, culture and education, Lahd Gallery is launching its Summer Olympics Art Exhibition, as part of the celebrations for the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London in 2012. This exhibition fosters a synergy between the worlds of art and sport at national and international level and to enhance the perception of the link between these two areas.

Works on display include Arabic Calligraphy where this genre will be traced to its historical origins and explores how it has developed into an exacting craft of high aesthetic sensibility. The gallery also indulges the viewer to a diverse selection of mystical objects, framed by the artist Irini Gonou, a Greek/Arabic artist who seeks to explore the healing power of the written word as a specific cultural idiom and takes the form of a dialogue between the Greek and Arabic cultures.The founding values of the Olympic Games of excellence, friendship and respect will be developed and envisaged in different ways by our artists and they are interpreted and depicted in all of the artworks on display. This summer will prove to be one of the most memorable display of arts and sports in London.

Irini Gonou: A Tale of Two Cultures

 Irini Gounou is a Greek artist who displays that portrays elements of healing and protection within ancient traditions from different cultures. From her influence of studying at Ecole des Beaux-Arts and Ecole des Arts Decoratifs of Paris, Gonou attempts to portray and explore the power of written words, which is used in specific cultures as a form of healing. Both Arabic and Greek cultures will be seen as a dialogue of influence, that emphasize what the artists is trying to portray, through each piece. The exhibition will showcase works produced from raw materials such as textiles, reeds, fired clay, seed pods, linen twine and much more.

Gonour displays work that reflects upon unfamiliar traditions that may seem rather mysterious. The use of raw materials comprehends the historical elements of the works, where the viewer is left wondering how these elements of healing and protection from these objects resulted in. Gonou attempt to create an atmosphere as though the viewer is going back in time to realise the simplicity of rituals and beliefs.

Irini Gounou will be presenting her work at Lahd gallery from the 31^st May 2012. The exhibition will be running for 8 weeks until the 25^th July 2012.

A Glance at Khaled Akil's "The Unmentioned"

Lahd Gallery is pleased to bring you our latest news, with all the conflict going on in the Middle East. As Syria finds itself in political turmoil, Syrian art has found its way into the contemporary space of Lahd Gallery, based in Hampstead.

KhaledAkil: The Unmentioned, the current exhibition on display at Lahd Gallery, explores a range of social, political and religious issues facing Syria, amidst the recent events there. When approached by the artist, he asked of the gallery, “Are my works too aggressive for you?” and we replied, “This is exactly what we do!” Lahd Gallery prides itself as being on the forefront when it comes to promoting raw talents, artists with something to say, a message to share.

Khaled’s works are made up of a hybrid of photography and painting that results in layers of ancient religious Arabic scripts and symbols combined with photography. His works can be described as aggressive as the artist chooses to target the components of his society that have the deepest and most dangerous effects which also affect the whole region.

Due to its extensive popularity, this exciting exhibition is currently running until our next show in April. More updates will be posted here soon.

Media Sources:

Syrian artist's Hampstead exhibition explores nation in conflict

http://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/syrian_artist_s_hampstead_exhibition_explores_nation_in_conflic

t_1_1219860

Artist's work looking at nation in midst of battle

http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&pnum=20&refresh=4Za1p0L309zN&EID=a1aa31a4-78f9-4e0c-9b9b-7d459499f11a&skip=&p=20 

Khalid Akil: The Unmentioned

http://www.culturalismi.com/culturalismi/suggestions/khalid-akil-the-unmentioned.html 

Photography Exhibition 'Khaled Akil: The Unmentioned at London's Lahd Gallery' 

http://islamicartsmagazine.com/blog/view/photography_exhibition_khaled_akil/ 

Lahd Gallery Exhibitions 2010/2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSryywxKys8&context=C3cc6015ADOEgsToPDskJpYYCiSi7j9wq5TLWVUvaQ

The art season has ended on a high note for Lahd Gallery as it revisits all its exhibitions during 2010/2011 in this video. We invite you to share our joy and success as we continue to bring you the most talented emerging artists from the Middle East.

Lahd Gallery launched its inaugural exhibition and party in October 2010 in London with “The Gulf Re-Veiled” where, going back to its historical beginnings, a selection of women artists from the Gulf were showcased. Followed by what is considered to be the most daring, progressive and bold move, Lahd Gallery showed AbdulAziz Al Qahtani: An Intimate Geography in December 2010, a start contrast to its foregoing exhibition.

In January 2011, a Turkish trio was invited to show their works: Guido Casaretto, Bedri Baykam and Ugur Caki. Although coming from a common heritage, their styles differ to the extent that no matter how diverse, one can still identify traits of a common heritage. The exhibition calendar then progressed to Shurooq Amin: SHOT! The Untold Truth of Society Girls where the artist, originally featured in Lahd Gallery’s inaugural show, being the liberal thinking that she was, showed our audience the allegory of society’s murder of passion through her use of the M15 sniper rifle, which she used to shoot each of her paintings.

Lahd Gallery also demonstrated its diversity with Exploring Sudan, featuring four Sudanese artists: Abdelwahab Nour, Sana Elbashir, Islam Zian Alabdeen and Iman Shaggag where a wide array of styles are seen through their different works. Following that, Kuwaiti pop duo, Hamad&Ali made their appearances with Pop Icons, a masterpiece showcase of pop art highlighting the pop personalities of their time.

The successful first year for Lahd Gallery rounded up with a Summer Exhibition, where the public is treated to a splendid selection of its remaining art collection after its first year in London. The new art season then began with the first ever Arabic Calligraphy exhibition to be shown in London “The Art of The Written Word” where differing styles from various artists around the world are brought together to trace this aesthetic art to its historical origins and how it has developed into the contemporary form that we know today.

Lahd Gallery aims to continue with its tradition of excellence and bringing the best art to its art audience, in London, and around the world.

What can we say? It’s only the beginning!

Happy Holidays