Contemporary Abstract Artist Oussamah Ghandour
The name of contemporary abstract artist Oussamah Ghandour has become synonymous with profound and vibrant artistic creations that echo liberation. His artistic works are dedicated to the deconstruction of self and reconstruction of freedom. Born on March 8, 1978 in Beirut, Lebanon, Ghandour’s liberal arts studies with a focus on visual arts at York University in Toronto, coupled with a degree in graphic design and communication from the Academy of Design led him into the creative world with dual vocation as an artist and designer
Ghandour’s works have been exhibited in multiple shows and venues in Beirut and New York – including Christie’s, Lebanese Consulate Of Art, White Box Art Centre, Art Love New York, and Bushwick Open Studios.
Entering Oussamah’s creative and instinctive universe is a pure sensorial experience. His work evokes memories and emotions and provides connections of himself and his experiences, mirroring a universal human truth. His diverse and deeply emotional painting tell rich stories in every abstract detail; his brush strokes, textures and paint drops reveal deep-layered of emotional condition, as though each painting carries with it its own soundtrack.
His process and medium is inspired by the environment he’s in, wether an urban setting, street life and the daily hustle, street cars, and cracked patchwork of city construction, where every minute counts and every second is an opportunity gained or wasted. Echoing a social reality, he uses asphalt as a symbol of foundation and tar to seal the cracks in the latex. Ghandour has even experimented within the use of natural living creatures, including bugs, as materials for painting. A pure creative soul, Ghandour is also rarely seen without his sketchbook.
Traveling is second nature to Ghandour; and his vast journey’s across the globe have cultivated connections, desires, and a visceral understanding human nature and the natural world, which are delicately, yet articulately reflected in his work. Throughout his life and career, he has lived in Riyadh, Doha, Nice, Toronto, Beirut, Dubai before eventually eventually settling in Brooklyn, NYC.
Ghandour uses his free imagination, love and loss, cross culture, ethnic urban roots and chaotic energy as inspiration for his style across mediums of painting, sketching, and sculpture.