“Unsettled Nostalgia: Mohamad Hafez”
20 January-27 February 2016
Mohamad Hafez was born in Damascus in 1984, raised in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and educated in the Midwestern United States. A New Haven-based architect, Hafez uses plaster, rigid foam, paint and found objects to create three dimensional architectural streetscapes, installations and wall murals of his native Syria that are deeply personal, photorealistic and surreal. Expressing the juxtaposition of East and 
West within him, Hafez’s art represents the urban fabric of the Middle East, and serves as a backdrop for his own political and social expression.
Hafez believes that architecture is the physical indicator of a city’s prosperity and paradoxically, the obvious physical indicator of devastation. Responding to the atrocities of the Syrian war, much of his work draws parallels between the heavy military presence in the Middle East and the demolished lives and infrastructure beneath that presence. The work draws comparisons between the vulgar, luxurious lives that tyrants live and the deprived state of their nations.
In deliberate contrast to the violence, however, Hafez’ art also imbues a subtle hopefulness through the incorporation of verses from the Qu’ran. These verses are at the core of the artist’s vision, endeavouring to kindle hope and raise spirits in the midst of so much devastation. Scenes reiterate narratives from the Qu’ran in order to affirm that, even during the darkest of times, patience is necessary for the blossoming of life, and eventually, justice will prevail.
(text adapted from the gallery’s press materials)
INFORMATION
The Harts Gallery
20 Bank Street
New Milford, Connecticut 06776 USA
(917) 913-4641
Hours:
Thursday-Saturday, Noon-8PM
Sunday, Noon-3PM
or by appointment
Image (top and detail):
A Refugee Nation
by Mohamad Hafez
30″x14″x12″
plaster, paint, antique typewriter case, found objects, MP3 media player, rigid foam
2015