On Saturday, June 10, at 5:30 p.m., Mark Bettis Gallery presents an opening reception for The Impermanence of Things, a solo exhibition of mixed media work by Nabil El Jaouhari. The exhibition will run through Saturday, June 24, at the River Arts District gallery location.
Blossomed Withered. Nabil El Jaouhari, artist
Originally from Lebanon, El Jaouhari studied fine arts at the Lebanese University in Beirut before moving to the US in 2009 to complete his MFA in painting and printmaking at the University of Missouri. The subject matter of this collection was inspired by mono no aware, a Japanese phrase that refers to the emotional power of something fleeting. El Jaouhari was introduced to this concept by a writer friend during the winter and the knowledge that his show was slated for warmer months provided a lens for consideration. “I started thinking about reincarnation and the passing of things,” he says. “I wanted my show to embrace those ideas by using the visual language that I established over the last few years.” This visual language combines wood burning and painting together “to talk about the impermanence of things including nature and its cycle of blossoming and withering and also concepts of time, reincarnation and memory.”
El Jaouhari also used unconventional materials like tar and asphaltum to create a concrete element of the work that contrasts with the light, delicate nature of the wood burn sketching. “The work is heavy on wood burning and has a deconstructed quality to it,” he says. “It’s dark in tones, but the mood is almost ethereal and light. The juxtaposition of placing this dark mood with the light and bright parts of living flowers makes the preciousness of each of them shine even more.”
The reception is free and open to the public; refreshments and light hors d’oeuvres will be served. All works will be available for purchase. Mark Bettis River Arts District Gallery is located at 123 Roberts Street, Asheville. For more information visit MarkBettisGallery.com or contact Mark Bettis at 941-587-9502 or markdbettis@gmail.com.
