“I find beauty in ugliness.” Speaking to Gulf News, Jeddah-based artist Mohanna Tayeb explained the unique pieces that he has now become well-known for – surreal paintings that are unexpected juxtapositions of positive and negative thoughts.
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, involving art and writing. With regards to artworks, artists often paint unnerving, illogical scenes, creating strange creatures from everyday objects.
The 28-year-old artist explains that his primary source of inspiration has always been people, saying, “I’m inspired by humans. I can’t get enough of understanding myself and others as human beings.”
“My painting is a mirror into one’s soul. I want people to understand that no one is perfect,” Tayeb continued.
Graduating with a degree in mass media, Tayeb always knew that his real passion lied in art. Ten years ago, he broke his leg and began exploring his interest in order to pass time during recovery. He attended a drawing class and it was there he discovered his passion for surrealism. That was when he decided to quit his job in order to pursue a career in art and immerse himself in developing his skills.
Tayeb is a mostly self-taught artist, having spent most of his days on YouTube, watching videos on surrealism, as well as reading up on surreal art and artists such as Salvador Dali, Vincent Van Gogh, and Francis Bacon.
While developing his art, he worked odd jobs here and there in order to support himself financially. Tayeb attributes his approach to art to his father’s absence in his upbringing, as his parents divorced when he was young.
“Being raised by my mother and two aunts gave me the freedom of living my own life, making mistakes, conquering pain and insecurities, and becoming the person I am today,” he explained to the news site. “When my art began to be picked up in art galleries and gained more attention in the media, and they saw I could actually make money out of it, they changed their opinion.”
Today, Tayeb is a regular at art galleries, has two solo exhibitions under his belt, and has recently opened a studio in Jeddah. To date, his works have been featured at exhibitions in London and Dubai.
