A New Artistic Journey After China

Following the presentation of his Silk Road collection at the Dalian Modern Museum in China, Jamal Joratli spoke with ArtViews about the experience, the evolution of his work and the artistic journey that would follow.

In October 2018, the Syrian-born artist presented 32 paintings at the Dalian Modern Museum, marking an important international milestone in his career after his earlier exhibition at the Benaki Museum in Athens. During his stay in China, Jamal was also invited to discuss his artistic techniques both at the museum and with students at the School of Fine Arts. Artviews

The experience strengthened one of the central ideas behind Jamal’s work: the connection between East and West. His fascination with the historic Silk Road goes beyond geography. For him, it represents the movement of cultures, ideas and artistic traditions across civilisations. Artviews

But Jamal also made clear that an artist should never remain confined to a single subject. After years of exploring Arabian horses, the Silk Road and Asian cultural influences, his attention began moving toward an entirely different world — the human cell and the structures of life itself.

This new inspiration reflected his belief that an artist must continue to evolve. Looking back at paintings created a decade earlier, Jamal described seeing almost another artist behind them. His ambition was for his new works to become, in his words, “microscopes of life.” Artviews

From deserts and horses to seas, planets and microscopic forms, Jamal’s artistic practice remains defined by movement, experimentation and discovery. Rather than settling into one recognisable formula, his work continues to travel — across cultures, subjects and new visual territories.

Source: ArtViews, 4 April 2019.