Sinan Hussein was born in Baghdad 1977, now lives and works between Boston, Istanbul and Sydney.
Through his paintings he addresses the psychological issues of human and raises the raises controversial human issues.
The surface is usually populated as if to stimulate the visual intelligence of the viewer, and to evoke thoughts and emotions. There is always a connection or a dialogue between that of the world and of the spirits. Sinan explains that most of the bizarre figures spun into his work “are those of characters that visited his dreams as a child” to became his Muses as he became their artistic agent. Each artwork is a narrative of a riddle or a parable. His symbols are the language he utters. Once deciphered, the viewer will have the key to solve his own riddle.
He constructs everyday happenings and items such as pictures, road cones, toys, photos, selfies, and bicycles; to convey his life stories and reflect on relationships.
His artistic legacy extends from the vision of the Mesopotamian ancestors, its vagueness civilization, its splendor history and horrifying present. The silence discourse, the gaze of his figures and the odd objects in his paintings are nothing but a live metaphor from the past. After several years of self studying and observing the classic, the modern and the contemporary artists, Sinan joined the Iraqi Academy of Fine Arts in Baghdad and graduated in 2004.
As a refugee who fled his homeland the nostalgia and the search for a new home have enriched and shaped Sinan’s paintings. Since early 2004 he participated and exhibited in many important art shows in the middle east, Europe and the United States. His artwork is collected by middle eastern and Arab gulf royalty, governments, museum and private collectors around the world
Dr Jörg Bockow’s critique on Sinan Hussein’s styleDownload
Inside Studio
EG
Sinan’s work does not betray the composition principles of fine arts, which can be claimed to be his forte. While his early works were more biased to an earth tones pallet, as time progressed, he introduced more vivid colors. In its totality, his work engages the audience’s aesthetic sensitivities.
The whimsical characters of Sinan Hussein appear weightless in an environment reminiscent of Limbo. They are depicted in pairs or as isolated protagonists coiling in open spaces. The lovers are huddled together, grouped by mass around which other elements come alive. In order to complete this atmosphere, their bodies are defined by a thin black line creating a cocoon, a house for spirits in search of shelter. This decor is then furnished with solid shapes and successive layers that illuminate the paint, thus creating the volumes of the scene. Sometimes characters are sacred with golden halos, some encompassing the whole person. Other characteristic elements of Hussein’s painting can be found in his compositions. Such as the faces of fish referring to isolation but also to reproduction, a paradox that reflects the reality of exile.
FR
Les personnages fantasques de Sinan Hussein paraissent en apesanteur dans un environnement rappelant les Limbes. Ils sont représentés par paires ou comme des protagonistes isolés s’enroulant dans des espaces ouverts. Les amants sont blottis, groupés par masse autour desquelles d’autres éléments s’animent. Afin de parachever cette atmosphère, leurs corps sont définis par une fine ligne noire créant aisni un cocon , une maison pour des esprits en quête d’un abri. Ce décor est ensuite meublé de formes solides et des couches successives qui éclairent la peinture, créant ainsi les volumes de la scène. Pafois, les perosnnages sont comme sacralisés avec des halos dorés, certains englobant toute la personne.
D’autres éléments caractéristiques de la peinture de Hussein se retrouvent dans ses compositions. Tels que les visages de poissons faisant référence à l’isolement mais aussi à la reprocduction, un paradoxe qui reflète la réalité de l’exil.