ArtsKeele are delighted to present The Rural Interior of the Imagination: Semaan Khawam. This exhibition brings together a selection of vibrant, moving and thought-provoking paintings, sculptures and poetry from the artist’s studio over the last 6 years. In addition, Khawam was Artist-inResidence at Appetite’s Newcastle Common in the summer of 2022, working with Appetite’s Lunch Club delivering creative sessions as part of Art for Peace. Some of the participants’ work can be seen in the gallery

Semaan Khawam is a self-taught multidisciplinary Lebanese-Syrian artist, who participated in over 30 collective exhibitions in Lebanon, Bahrain, UK, Germany, France, New York, Singapore, Italy, Taiwan and Jordan.

He became more recently known as “birdman.” His nickname is inspired by his recurring bird motif, which stands as both his alter ego and all-time favorite companion. For Khawam, the representation of the bird is the epitome of freedom. He explains that birds live without borders and migrate depending on the weather and in most cases choose to go to warm places, and can do so easily and freely, unlike him. To record his uncomfortable realities, Khawam fluctuates between paintings, sculptures, graffiti, theatre and/or anything his heart desires, drawing inspiration from his daily life in Beirut.

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Selected works in this exhibition are available for purchase. For enquiries, please contact arts@keele.ac.uk.

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