Born in Daraa, southwest Syria, in 1989, Mohammad Labash studied painting and drawing at Damascus University. His visually charged paintings are filled with vigorous energy, chaotic strokes, and blocks of color overlapping and abutting each other amid scribbled lines. His subdued palettes often feature autumnal colors and his semi-abstract compositions hint at figures lurking in the shadows, inviting the viewer to decipher the details embedded therein. Speaking of his practice, Labash states, a painting is like a child with relentless questioning, quest, discovery, and trial” – an inquiry that is reflected in his intense painterly technique. Heavily influenced by Damascus’ urbanity and socio-political realities, his paintings reflect the dynamism and the tensions that characterize the city.