4 July – 21 July 2024

ZAAT, in collaboration with Fann À Porter is pleased to present our first solo exhibition with Syrian
artist Omran Younis, Rise of the Cactus, showcasing a new body of work. Making a poignant social
commentary on his surroundings, the human condition, and current state of political affairs in the
region, Younis combines ideas of post-Modernism with expressionist techniques to develop a
painterly language which can be universally understood.

The artist’s deep understanding of color and texture is ever present in these works. Transforming
universally understood symbols, such as the cactus, into personal emblems, Younis raises
questions of how the public interacts and perceives personal symbolic gestures and references.
Shifting from his prior focus on the stark realities of war toward these depictions is as relevant as
ever in the artist’s practice.

Stemming from the artist’s Cactus Story series, which he began in 2020, Younis continues his
shift from depicting the harsh realities of war in Syria. In these works, the artist depicts the cactus:
a symbol of resilience and of patience amongst the Arab world; seeing as the word for cactus and
patience is the same in Arabic. Though resisting the pigeonhole of being a “political artist”,
Younis’s practice has developed from a figurative one, which depicted these realities more
figuratively, to a symbolic one, where these depictions are elaborated in the form of a cactus.
Although the subject matter has changed, the message remains ever-present.