Ayyam Gallery continues its dedication to bringing Syria’s brightest painters to Beirut with the space’s current exhibit, ‘It’s All About Sama’ by Mohannad Arabi. The series marks a turning point for the Damascus-born artist. Instantly recognisable by his blackened almond eyes and whimsical proportions, the boyish protagonist who featured so heavily in Arabi’s earlier work is now joined by a female counterpart, who permeates Arabi’s compositions with a new-found serenity. A mother, a daughter,a sweetheart and a lover, it’s a deliberately refracted portrayal of womanhood, yet each work is given the same title: ‘Self Portrait’. For Arabi, self-portraiture is not about direct representation. ‘I don’t draw myself physically, I draw my life,’ the artist says.

It’s obvious Arabi’s own personal watershed has had a direct influence on his work. In the last two years he has become both a husband and a father – his baby girl, Sama, is the inspiration behind the exhibition’s title. And that’s what makes ‘It’s All About Sama’, so enchanting: as Arabi lets the relationship between feeling and technique flow intuitively together, you can’t help but feel the harmony.

Runs until Apr 30.