For over two decades, Tabari Artspace has championed MENA artists, amplifying often-overlooked narratives and showcasing the region’s art scene to an international audience. The gallery is dedicated to artists who embrace fine art traditions, valuing a hand-touch approach across diverse mediums, from painting to sculpture.
As part of its mission to inspire the next generation of visionaries through immersive experiences, Tabari Artspace hosts a residency in collaboration with La Serena Hotel in Forte dei Marmi—an establishment deeply committed to the arts. The residency programme provides a unique platform for aspiring artists to refine their practice, offering a dedicated studio space, a serene environment, and ample resources for creative immersion along the striking Italian coastline. Residents produce and exhibit new works while opening their studios to guests, cultivating visibility, dialogue, and international engagement.
This March, Tabari Artspace presents The Power of Intention in Milan, a multidisciplinary exhibition featuring works by La Serena’s resident and visiting artists. Curated by Bebe Leone and hosted at Villa Cramer in the heart of Milan’s Brera district, the exhibition will later travel to La Serena Hotel, where guests can experience the curation throughout the hotel during their stay. By bridging the residency with Italy’s vibrant art scene, this initiative strengthens connections between participating artists and Milan’s cosmopolitan art ecosystem, supporting deeper engagement with the global artistic community.
The concept of the talisman lies at the core of this exhibition. Historically, talismans have been objects imbued with purpose—created not only to protect but also to empower and guide. Unlike passive symbols of luck, they demand intent and action. The artists featured in The Power of Intention channel this ethos, treating their creative processes as acts of navigation through identity, memory, and spirituality while offering a timely reflection on how art responds to personal and collective challenges. The works in the exhibition collectively meditate on the role of creativity in navigating uncertainty. Created during 2024, a year marked by global flux and challenges, these pieces are united by their shared sentiments of optimism.
Nasser Almulhim’s rhythmic paintings explore the dynamic between geometric and organic forms, creating a visual language that speaks to connection, self reflection, and healing. Similarly, Maitha Abdalla explores identity through anamorphic characters set in intimate, often theatrical spaces. Her works capture the tension and vulnerability inherent in self-discovery.
Alymamah Rashed’s surreal canvases examine her connection to spirituality, nature, and daily life, with expressive eyes serving as windows into reflections on universality and transcendence. Her work invites viewers into a deeply personal yet widely resonant introspection. In contrast, Chafa Gaddar’s frescoes embrace fragility as a source of strength. Her delicate, time-intensive process transforms fleeting moments of creation and memory into enduring metaphors for the human experience.
Bechir Boussandel’s luminous canvases evoke boundless spaces where conventional boundaries dissolve. Through bold and transformative use of colour, his works offer a sense of freedom and limitless possibility. Adding yet another dimension, Malik Thomas explores the male figure through a meditative lens, blending themes of desire and spirituality. His paintings reflect on intimacy and the intersections between human connection and the divine.
Samo Shalaby infuses the exhibition with his ability to traverse antiquity, surrealism, and grotesque aesthetics through a modern lens. Drawing on painting and photography, Shalaby melds motifs from disparate decades to construct worlds that feel both familiar and enigmatic. His works, steeped in symbolism and storytelling, challenge dichotomies, blending dreamlike narratives with sharp cultural critiques.
Just like a talisman transcends its physical form to embody personal empowerment, the visual language presented in the exhibition inspires a shift toward optimism and a renewed sense of collective purpose.
Press release from Tabari Artspace
Image: Bechir Boussandel. Le Balayeur. 2022. Oil and acrylic on canvas. 140 x 130 cm. Image courtesy of the artist and Tabari Artspace
