07/06/2026
โญ๏ธEgyptian artist Ibrahim Khatab creates rich, layered imagery that wovenly integrates Arabic calligraphy with human figures, flora, and fauna drawn from Egyptian and ancient Near Eastern mythology. His canvases are built from newspapers and street postersโmaterials that carry the residue of daily lifeโwhich he vigorously sands and then coats with up to seven layers of paint. This intensive process produces multilayered textures that blur the boundary between the painterly, the sculptural and the literal, transforming the surface into a tactile evocation of accumulated time and memory.
๐The horseโa traditional Arab symbol of speed, power, royalty, and the sacredโappears as a recurring motif throughout his work. In Khatabโs hands, the horse becomes both a mythic presence and a living presence: its form emerges from the layered strata, sometimes partially revealed, sometimes fully animated, as if it has traveled through the canvas itself. The animalโs power resonates with the strength of the layered surface, creating a visual dialogue between ancient symbolism and contemporary materiality.
๐ช๐ฌBorn in Cairo in 1984, Ibrahim Khatab began his artistic career at twelve as a street sign painter. These early urban visual experiences, combined with his deep study of Arabic calligraphy, shaped a distinct visual language that seamlessly merges calligraphy, line, and imagery.
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๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ง ๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ | ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐๐ฑ๐ก๐ข๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐
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๐๏ธ5 May - 30 June 2026
โฐTuesday to Saturday, 10amโ7pm
๐Office A, 9/F, Entertainment Building, 30 Queenโs Road Central, Central, Hong Kong
