This self-taught artist discovered painting at a very early age. It became his means of expression, even before speech. Between his studies at New York University and his martial arts competitions, he continued to paint. He opened a studio in Brooklyn and developed his self-portraits in a chiaroscuro world where musculature reigned supreme. His paintings are imbued with his childhood nightmares, and feature headless bodies and animals. It took him sixteen months to complete a painting following the explosion in the port of Beirut.
Whether it was the process or the subject itself, everything in this canvas was my way of painting the emotion I felt after the explosion. A mixture of guilt, absurdity and, in fact, the impossibility of thinking and moving forward" - interview given to OLJ.
Since this summer, he has had a studio in Byblos, where his new paintings inspired by ancient Greek sculptures can be seen.
Photo: Ramsey Chahine, "Self-portrait after the explosion in the port of Beirut".