Born in Hama in 1952, Edward Shahda studied at the Suhail Ahdab Center in Hama and the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Damascus, before undertaking a residency at the Anatoli Klankov Atelier in Russia. His distinctive mixed media works and acrylic and oil paintings capture somber-faced figures, predominantly women, bending the rules of perspective to create powerful and emotionally resonant scenes. His innovative bursts of color contrast his monochromatic cityscapes, imbuing his scenes with a mythological quality. In the artist’s words: ‘I take special care to prepare the color for each painting. The visual tension issued by a specific color, by its proximity to others, tempts me… I believe that a small spot of color can carry a vaster amount of drama and expression than a whole novel’. Since 1980 his work had been exhibited at numerous prestigious international solo and group exhibitions in Syria, Russia, Lebanon, Egypt, Dubai, Turkey, USA, Canada, France, Switzerland, and China. Notable international exhibitions include the 2005 Second International Biennale Beijing exhibition, China, and The Institute of The Arab World exhibition in Paris in 2008.
