Yasser Safi

By Youssef Abdelke 2015

Yasser Safi’s painting tempts you to stretch out your hand and adjust its colors. It invites you to add red paint in one corner and gray in another. It gives the impression that it is still unfinished. It induces you to play with its robust children. The freshness of his painting breaks the borders between you and the artwork, like the first kiss of new lovers.
Safy began his studies at Damascus University of Fine Art in 1997. He started etching deep cuts with obvious cruel lines and solid structure on plates. In addition, he created his own figures with special body features. In time, Safy gradually softened his lines on the plates and freed his figures. This resulted in similar figures and forms he created earlier, but with much friendly gesture like a teenage girl gestures to a boy.
Painting was the next attempting stage for Safy, which took him away from complicated print techniques. He created his forms, figures, faces, hands and movements by mixing colors on canvas. His painting turned into a colorful carnival for his absurd, colorful figures.
As Safy painted, he did not continue producing neither his graphic figures nor his colorful ones, he reverted to his childhood figures. Gradually, Safy’s paintings revealed his inner child who was still thirsty to draw and paint on walls. He evoked the childhood style through the spontaneity and the boldness in his lines and compositions. But his figures are not as innocent as they seem. His simple spontaneous style holds deep ideas and meanings. It is like the Puppet Theater with one difference, where holding the marionette’s threads is not by fingers, but through Safy’s thoughts, fears, concerns and the violence which he witnessed. Thus, as the senseless killing is spreading the marionettes became more devilish. The more we see Chaos developing in Syria the more we see at Yasser’s paintings, shadows of the following things: (shabbiha) bullies, helicopters, explosives, barrel bombs, helmets ... and loaded pistols ... ect.
Yasser’s paintings have changed in parallel with what is happening in Syria. The destruction of Syria has a reflection in the structure of his paintings, which turn into a paralleled violent battlefield of colors and figures.
The brutality of his lines and spots are being expressed by his childhood style of art. But this spontaneous style is not as innocent as you think. His paintings resemble childhood, one that has lost its innocence forever. Just like the Syrian children today who are witnessing their homes being destructed and watching their parent’s bodies being discarded in the streets. They are subject to humiliation in the refugee camps in neighboring countries.
Just as humans, children, innocence and the future is shot, Yasser’s paintings are shooting towards perfection, refinement, bright color, and sober composition. His style is uncontrolled expression without rules and standards. Where is he going? No one knows. He himself does not know. The only thing he is sure about is his loyalty to himself and keeping his arms open to his paintings, which reflect the pain and the loss of people's lives.