İstanbul Sanat Dergisi / Sayı 9

56
SPECIAL INTERVIEW
Yazar
Ahmet Ayvalıoğlu
The art spirit:
Shahi Dayekh
İstanbul Sanat | Ekim / Kasım / Aralık 2022 / 09
We had a detailed and enjoyable interview
with the world-famous Lebanese-Turkish
painter Shahi Dayekh about her life, art,
painting collections, the Bodrum Art Fair
she attended, and the Istanbul Art & Antique Fair (IAAF),
which she will attend in the coming days.
First of all, thank you for joining this interview with me.
Can you shortly tell us about yourself?
Hello, I would describe myself as an emotionally driven
being who believes that we all came to this universe with
a purpose and we must find our purpose in order to contribute
to society and build our world. I am a mother of six
children who lived in many parts of the world. I went to college
in the USA. Finally resided in UAE. During that time, I
established my own company. I discovered my passion for
painting later on in my life and since then, painting became
my way of expressing myself.
The new collection
that Shahi Dayekh
is preparing at her
workshop in Dubai
and will be exhibited
next year is expected
to attract great
interest.
In your biography, I have read that you were born into a
family with 8 kids in Lebanon. Can you tell us about that
period of your life and how it affected your art career?
Growing up in a war torn country alerted my sense of survival
and compassion for others. Being in a family of eight
strengthened me and planted in me the sense of community
and sharing. These two ingredients made me aware of
some of the blessings that I was given and filled my heart
with love and compassion. I live on love, I breathe love.
Which painter influenced your art career the most?
I admire all art because of the mystery and passion behind
each work. I would say that every art piece that I see enriches
my emotions and eyesight. However there isn’t one
specific painter that inspired my paintings. Everytime
I observe, I find a new story.
You have 7 collections named “House of Illusions,
Seasons of Change, Sirens, Reflections, Escapes,
A Vision, Private Collection”. Can you tell us
about these collections?
Seasons of Change: A series of big portraits that express
our reality as human beings and the emotions we go
through in life just like in nature. It is composed of strong
expressive strokes to elaborate our emotional status whether
it is calm and serene or angry and frustrated.
House of Illusions: In this series, I have explored dividing
huge canvases with thick lines to make different portraits
in the same painting. These pieces are bigger and more abstract.
This collection is more playful and curious.
Sirens: Perhaps this is one of the most provocative.
It draws one’s attention more on the serious issues in life
such as motherhood, betrayal, anxiety through strong
strokes of expressionism and vivid strong colors.