Aktham Abdul Hamid

Born in 1955 in Jableh, Syria.

Education: Faculty of Fine Arts 1981 Damascus University-Syria. He graduated with degree of excellence honor.

He established the section of sculpture in the Institute of Applied Arts in 1987, and then from 2000-2010 he was the director of the same institute in Damascus-Syria.

Since 1987 he participated in the Syrian-Arabic movement of the fine arts.

Abdul Hamid’s work has been displayed at many international group and solo exhibitions around the world. Since 1998 he was the organizer of the major part of international wood and stone symposiums that was held inside and outside Syria.

Presented Syria in the International Sculpture competition of UNESCO in 1993, Paris.

His artworks are acquired by  the Syrian Ministry of Culture, National Museum of Damascus, the Syrian Presidential Palace, and the Opera House.

Abdulhamid’s Works have been purchased by art collectors, art galleries, parks, museums all over the world including: Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Hungary, Turkey, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Luxemburg, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, China, and Canada.

Founder of the Syrian Sculpture Gardens in Almuñecar, Granada - Spain.

Member of the Fine Arts Union in Syria.

Director of theInternational Association for Monumental Sculptures Events AIESM in Syria.

Awards

• 1987 Prize of small sculpture, Budapest - Hungary.

• 1993 Prize of Biennale Alexandria - Egypt.
• 1999 Golden Medal in Biennale of Lattakia - Syria.
• 2005 Second Prize in Dubai international Symposium.
• 2011 Second Prize in Tehran international symposium of marble sculpture.

Solo Exihibitions

Syria

• 1981 Gallery of the Arabic Cultural Center Damascus
• 1983 Gallery of the National Museum Aleppo
• 1982-1987 Gallery of German Cultural Center Damascus
• 1988 Ashtar Gallery Damascus.
• 1989, 1991,1993,1996,1998 Alsayed Art Gallery Damascus.
• 1991 Sham Hotel Gallery Aleppo.
• 2005 Dar Kalemat Gallery Aleppo.
• 2021 Tajalyat Art Gallery Damascus

Jordan

• 1993 Baladna Gallery Amman.

Egypt

• 1996 Diplomatic Gallery Cairo.

Bahrain

• 2004 Press Museum.

Turkey

• 2011 Cultural Center Gallery Istanbul.

Group  Exihibitions

Syria

• 1985 Alrewaq Gallery Damascus.
• 1991 Spanish-Syrian exhibition National Museum Damascus.
• 1994 Alkhanji Gallery Aleppo.
• 1995-1999 Lattakia Biennale.

Lebanon

• 1989 Alnahda Gallery.
• 1990 Beit Aladdin Museum.

Egypt

• 1991, 1993, 1999 Alexandria Biennale.

Qatar

• 2000 Presented Syria in the prize of city planning.

United Arab Emirates

• 2001 Sharjah Biennale.

Hungary

• 1987 International Small sculpture exhibition Budapest.

Paris

• 1993 Presented Syria in the International Sculpture competition of UNESCO.
• 2001 Exhibition in Arab World Institute.

China

• 2016 Beijing Museum Biennale.

Canada

• 2017 Opening of Agha Khan Museum Toronto.

SYMPOSIUMS

Syria

• 1998, 2002, 2004 International Sculpture Symposium Lattakia.

• 2003 Sculpture Symposium Damascus.
• 2006, 2007 Sculpture Symposium Tartous.
• 2008, 2009 International Sculpture Symposium of marble Damascus.
• 2008 International Sculpture Symposium Sweida.
• 2010 Realistic International Sculpture Symposium of marble Damascus.
• 2010, 2011 International Sculpture Symposium of wood Damascus.
• 2012 National Sculpture Symposium of wood Damascus.      
• 2015 National Sculpture Symposium of stone Lattakia.
• 2015 National Sculpture Symposium Tartous.
• 2019, 2020 National Sculpture Symposium Tartous.

Jordan

• 1997 First Arab Sculpture Symposium Jarash.  

United Arab Emirates  

• 2005 International Sculpture Symposium Dubai.

Bahrain

• 2009 International Sculpture Symposium Bahrain.

Iran

• 2011 International Sculpture Symposium of stone Tehran.

• 2016 International Sculpture Symposium of stone Tabriz.
• 2018 First International Sculpture Symposium of stone Ahwze.

Turkey   

• 2009 International Sculpture  Symposium Alania. 

Cyprus                 

• 2009, 2010 International Sculpture Symposium Larnka.
• 2019 International Sculpture Symposium of stone Ayia Napa.

• 2011 International Sculpture Symposium of stone Nicosia.

Greece

• 2006 International Sculpture Symposium Athens.

• 2018 International Sculpture Symposium of marble Iraklion.

Albania

• 2010 International Sculpture Symposium Korca.

Spain

• 2005,2006,2007,2008 The Syrian Sculpture Garden Symposium in Almuñecar, Granada
• 2009 Fifth International Syrian Symposium Almuñecar.                       
• 2010 Sixth International Syrian Symposium Almuñecar.

Luxemburg

• 2011 International Sculpture Symposium of wood Luxemburg.

Italy

• 2011 International Sculpture Symposium of marble Cizago, Milano.

France

• 2017 International Sculpture Symposium of stone in Oudon.
• 2019 International Sculpture Symposium of stone Labress.

Switzerland

• 2019 International Sculpture Symposium of wood Sion.

Germany

• 2019 International Sculpture Symposium of wood St.Blasien.

Russia

• 2013 International Sculpture Symposium of marble Penza.

My art experience went through different stages. In the early stages, my goal was to show the Syrian Identity in the Syrian Sculptures. My sculptures were only on wood and bronze.

On the next stages, the idea of the sculpture symposiums began to appear in the world, in order to organize a symposium you have to choose eternal materials to stand the factors of the atmosphere, such as: stone, bezelt... etc. Here my experience began to develop by sculpting on these materials with different sizes and subjects. After the war on Syria, I focused on the ‘‘Syrian Family’’ theme in my works outside Syria,by creating a geometric shape which refers to my home town ‘Syria’, and dropping the human figures to refer to the ‘Family’ because the Syrian families during the war were the most affected.

My exhibition in Tajalyat ‘‘Creative Stages’’ 2021, is a summary of my forty years’ experiences. In this exhibition you can find a variety of different levels in terms of style, materials, themes, techniques, and dimensions.