Iyad Qanazea Gallery is proud to present a solo exhibition by acclaimed artist Dina Mattar, opening on January 22, 2026, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. This highly anticipated show invites audiences into Mattar’s evocative world, where memory, emotion and resilience are rendered in vibrant coloyr and poignant imagery.
Artist Statement:
This time, I redraw my memories in a way that lets me see light before darkness, joy before sorrow. I revisit moments from our old life and my daily recollections—those I once thought were fleeting, only to find they had become real, as though I were discovering them for the very first time.
How can a sorrowful person feel joy, despite carrying pain as heavy as mountains? It is a question I ask myself every time I face the blank canvases waiting for me to cry into their embrace—something I often do—yet each time, I surprise them with colours bursting with life. Through this act, I try to triumph, turning joy and delight into weapons against misery and grief.
The experience I present today in this exhibition is part of a series of moments filled with mixed emotions, like any human being. But here, I allow the artist within me to speak; for one must rise for oneself even in the darkest of times.
In my own story, I painted with the colours of happiness as I always do, yet within the details lie signs of things unwelcome—elements that hover in the horizons of some paintings, leaving traces, even destruction, fear and terror, as seen in the paintings of the camp.
As for the woman—my companion in many of the artworks—she is my grandmother, my mother, my neighbors and the women I love. Woman is like the earth, as many poets, artists and lovers describe her, but in my paintings she is far more than that. She is not just land; she is homeland and shelter. She is the lady of the universe—she is the universe itself. I feel her presence and her greatness in the folds of the dress I paint with utmost care to honor her; plants, flowers and patterns become ornaments for a beautiful face that looks upon you with love.
Every painting opens a door to hope and love, giving sorrow a new shape of life—as if colour itself were praying for a brighter tomorrow. A more beautiful tomorrow.
All these colours are part of a festival of joy and I invite you to be part of its audience today and every day. Welcome to my beautiful world.
Press release from Iyad Qanazea Gallery
Image: Dina Mattar. Family in The Orchard. 2025. Detail. Acrylic on canvas. 180×120 cm. Image courtesy of the artist
