Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Damascus, SANA-The sculptor Mustafa Ali made his own special place in the Syrian and international sculpture through a long journey enriched with the creativity and unusual expertise that reflects his special visions of life and human being as if he was taking his ideas from a well that keeps on giving.
The sculptor started his journey with the sculpture since his early years in his coastal inherent environment and realized his artistic career when he studied at the Fine Arts college, establishing his first own gallery in 1988 which included his works made from bronze, the most difficult material to sculpt on.
Giving a speech to SANA, Ali said “The main topic that constantly attracts me is the human being and the method through which we express to produce the artistic work and I often choose characters for my work without consideration to the external shape as the issue I am care about is the core, giving my works more time to be done”.
The sculpture experienced the clay material since he was a child , then he entered the world of the bronze metal ,the noble material that lives so long, after that he mixed the wood with the bronze in his works ,and moved to work with the wood, achieving huge works and presenting his experience enriched with metal materials such as iron and chrome.
About the impact of the war on his works, Ali said “the war had a big psychological effect on all Syrians but when that effect interacts with the reality, it becomes positive as during the past ten years, I produced works from war remnants and shrapnel that attacked my country ,creating works built on destruction but with the will of the return to life”.
Considering his house in Old Damascus his own heaven that he adores , the Syrian sculptor transformed it to a gallery which is considered today as a cultural and artistic establishment that has its own place on the map of the effective cultural sites ,receiving visitors and followers from around the world and about the gallery ,he said “ we have had cultural projects that contributed to activating the artistic movement in Damascus throughout the past years and our doors were open wide to all art lovers ,especially that I believe changing the reality to the best comes through the art as it is an essential need in the human beings’ life.
Ali, who hasn’t stopped producing artworks, confirms that he has ten thousand of initial drawing of works that are awaiting the execution with all sizes which hold the renewal in his works in a method strongly expresses a difficult reality experienced by the Syrians during the years’ war, clarifying that he treated himself through art ,putting all his ideas on the social media with the aim of sending a message that the Syrian people are able to create and give in the most difficult circumstances .
The artist Mustafa Ali was born in Lattakia in 1956 and graduated from the Fine Art faculty , later he taught at the academy of the Fine Arts in Italy. His works are positioned in Syrian and Arab museums, establishing several galleries inside and outside the country and achieving many prizes. Ali was chosen within the most 100 important Arab figures for the year 2007 according Arabianbusiness magazine.
Baraa Ali / Mazen Eyon
