Souad Marbam Bey

Souad Mardam



Souad Mardam Bey is a Syrian artist born in Damascus, Syria. She studied philosophy at the LibaneseUniversity, Beirut. She moved to many places to Canada and Egypt also she has many exhibitions in: Paris, Kuwait, Read, Jeddah, Cairo and Argentina. Mardam Bey’s oversized canvases are brimming with undercurrents of emotion; layers of colour and intricate details which adorn her subjects, yet it is their eyes that leave you spellbound. Trapped behind hauntingly beautiful irises are tales derived from life. Her palette alternates from one painting to another; through scarlet backgrounds, violet turbans, and orange cloaks – the artist professes her passion for colour. Still, she grants each of her subjects a colourfully, melancholic persona. Their plush lips are sealed, fencing in their deepest secrets, while their eyes ratify an ethereal disposition.

The artist has seen her subjects a million times before, either lurking around or speeding past her on the streets – and all around her head. It is humankind, which drives this artist’s paint brush. Yet Mardam Bey does not simply produce snapshots of your everyday man and woman – she creates a community of otherworldly creatures, held captive to her use of overpowering colours and entrancing techniques. In this ethereal realm, you are held captive to the subject’s steadfast stare. The artist is not concerned with the exact shape of the eye; but focused on the expression those eyes relay, and the sensation that lies behind the iris. However, she is not telling a story; she is merely presenting one.