Art Exhibition “Abla in Bab Touma” by Artist Boutros Maari on Display in Dubai Until End of November

The immersive art exhibition titled “Abla in Bab Touma” by Christian visual artist Dr. Boutros Maari is captivating audiences at the Urbanist Gallery in Dubai, where it will remain on display until 30 November 2025. The exhibition features 23 canvas paintings created with acrylic colors, brought by the artist from his base in Hamburg to the United Arab Emirates.

Inspired by his deep-rooted connection to his homeland, Maari’s paintings illustrate a vibrant homage to the Syrian capital, Daramsuq (Damascus). His pieces reconstruct the narrow alleyways, the rich popular life, and the enduring memories that followed him into exile. By intertwining his recollections with the legendary romance of Abla and the poet-warrior Antarah ibn Shaddad, Maari communicates an artistic narrative grounded in both memory and cultural symbolism.

Executed with technical finesse, his style fuses expressive realism with traditional folk arts, producing compositions rich in both emotion and visual storytelling. From shadowy café sketches in monochromatic tones to later works alive with color and optimism, his journey reflects not only artistic maturation but also a changing emotional relationship with his lost city.

Maari emphasized to media outlets: “His paintings are not historical documents as much as they are an expression of the memory of an artist who loved his city, capturing through his brush living faces and environments that reflected the details of popular life in Daramsuq.”

Through this exhibition, Maari seeks to “honor his city, Daramsuq” by committing its artistic and cultural heritage to canvas through contemporary interpretation, ensuring that even in exile, the essence of the ancient city endures.

Team V.DIR-EM-UAE