Omar El Lahib
b. 1986, Lebanon
Omar El Lahib was born in Sidon, Lebanon in 1986 and studied Fine Art at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf before moving to Cologne with his wife and children. Lahib’s large scale paintings oscillate between figuration and abstraction. These dreamscapes arise from simple sketches, occasionally from earlier pictures the artist could not absolve. “It is often wrongly assumed that the night and its darkness swallows much of a place. In fact, the opposite is true of the night - it can expose much larger distances, including those of a star. It is only through a star that distances and dimensions can be perceived in space. The night therefore doesn’t diminish or limit things, it instead magnifies moments and renders them more intense.” says El Lahib. In Lahib’s nights, his figures can be found surrounded by colorful trees, textured foliage, and florescent bioluminescence. They feel, think, and hold their own and challenge the viewer or invite us; drawing us into the painting and into the night. El Lahib’s work has recently been exhibited in a show in Chi K11 ArtMuseum in Shanghai.