Dubai: The Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation in Dubai inaugurated a retrospective exhibition of the late Syrian artist Abdul Latif Al-Samoudi (1948-2005), titled “Colors from the Tale of Absence,” marking the 21st anniversary of his passing.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the exhibition was opened by Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Library Foundation, with Abdul Hamid Ahmed, Secretary General of the Foundation, Dr. Mohammed Yousef, Dr. Rafia Ghobash, members of the late artist’s family, and a number of art enthusiasts, friends, and students in attendance.

During the tour, attendees paused at the painting “Hama 1982,” which was being displayed for the first time. Tariq Al Samoudi, the artist’s son and curator of the exhibition, explained that the painting had remained hidden for decades since its creation in the early 1980s. Measuring 345 cm in length and 175 cm in height, the painting commemorates the events that took place in the Syrian city of Hama, serving as a rare visual testament to art’s ability to document history and transform pain into a resilient, aesthetic memory.

The exhibition featured 75 selected paintings by Al-Samoudi, documenting his creative journey spanning more than three decades. It revealed his unique approach to blending tradition with modernity, drawing inspiration from Islamic and Eastern heritage with a modern abstract spirit, using symbols, letters, and motifs to create a world of color and memory.

On the sidelines of the opening, the foundation organized a special art symposium on Al-Samoudi’s work, featuring two of his closest friends and artistic collaborators, Hisham Al-Mazloum and Talal Al-Mualla. They shed light on the career of one of the most prominent pioneers of Arab abstraction, reviewing the pivotal stages in Al-Samoudi’s life, from his beginnings until his passing in 2005, his central role in establishing the visual arts movement in the UAE, his notable participation in the Sharjah Art Biennial, and his influence on an entire generation of Arab artists.

Mohammed Al-Murr offered a heartfelt testimony about his relationship with the late artist, recalling the nature of his work, which garnered particular attention from Western communities. He described Al-Samoudi as a gifted painter who blended heritage with the present, possessing a futuristic vision for his aesthetics and connecting them to the spirit of the East.