My work explores the intersection of memory, perception, and the fluid boundaries between inner and outer realities. Through layered textures, shifting colors, and ambiguous forms, I seek to evoke a sense of movement—both physical and psychological. The paintings exist in a space between abstraction and reality, where images emerge and dissolve, reflecting the instability of memory and the ways in which we construct meaning. Light and depth play a central role, guiding the viewer through spaces that feel both familiar and intangible. This process is an ongoing investigation into the tension between presence and absence, solidity and impermanence, inviting a dialogue between what is seen and what is felt.
I grew up im Damascus, Syria. After studying sculpture at the Damascus School of Fine Arts, I moved to Austria in 2006 to study painting and printmaking at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna under the supervision of Prof. Gunter Damisch, graduating in 2011..
What emotions may be generated by images and colors, depend entirely on the momentarily relationship created between the observer and the observed. We tend to lock forms and symbols to concrete meanings, and while we panic if that house of cards collapses, we feel thrilled when we discover beauty leaking out of traumatic experiences, for we are the source of both of them.
Sami Ajouri
part of my text introducing my work at the exhibition Nimrods at the one state embassy vienna 2021