Jehad Taisan | Painting as a language of hope and beauty

A special exhibition by Syrian artist Jehad Taisan. The exhibition showcases an artist who, using warm colors, powerful symbolism, and a visual language all his own, tells a universal story of love, peace, and beauty.

Jehad Taisan worked for many years as an artist and instructor at an art academy in Damascus. From a young age, he knew that art was his calling. When he fled to the Netherlands with his family in 2013, he had to leave his entire body of work behind. In the Netherlands, he started over. From his studio in Baarn, he gradually built a new artistic practice, one in which his Syrian roots, personal history, and optimistic outlook on the future come together.

His paintings are instantly recognizable. They combine influences from ancient Eastern art and icon painting with a contemporary, colorful visual language. People, animals, and symbolic elements flow into one another, telling stories of memory, connection, and the power of imagination.

A recurring motif in his work is a female figure, inspired by Ishtar, the Mesopotamian goddess of love and peace, known in Western culture as Venus. She symbolizes hope, beauty, and resilience. Organic forms, trees, and wood also recur regularly as references to life, growth, and connection.

Where Taisan drew inspiration primarily from conflict and loss in the early years following the outbreak of the war in Syria, he now consciously chooses a different perspective. The focus is not on war, but on its opposite: peace, love, and humanity. Music, art, and culture serve as a constant source of inspiration in this regard.

Jehad Taisan says of his work:
“My dream is for love and peace to spread throughout the world.”

With this exhibition, galerieRIETVELD showcases an artist who has transformed his personal history into a universal story. His paintings invite viewers to pause, look, and continually discover new meanings. They demonstrate how art, even in the face of loss, can be a source of hope and connection.

This exhibition was made possible by the Rietveldpaviljoen.