The Sharjah Art Museum will present "Lasting Impressions: Samia Halaby," showcasing the Palestinian artist born in Jerusalem in 1936 and currently living in New York. This is a major retrospective of her work and will include 180 works of various sizes and media representing her career through abstract paintings, sculptures, digital works, documentary drawings, and more.

The show will run from September 20, 2023 to January 7, 2024. 

Halaby employs visual abstraction to convert what our senses have stored in our memory over a long period of time, "what the viewer and I already know," into abstract visual form. Through such abstract creations, she represents the inherent visual experience that resides within all of us – abstract shape, color, light, and movement combine into an art in which the viewer recognizes their own experiences. She does so by employing her extensive knowledge of methods and technologies.

She has gained an impressive reputation, solidifying her standing as a forward-thinking artist. Through her unique artistic style, extensive range of methods, and prolific artistry, she has redefined the notion of abstraction with a remarkable level of precision, ensuring clarity in her creative process and cementing her position as a visionary abstract painter.

The artist's interpretation of the exhibition's title, "Lasting Impressions," is that it reflects the wonderful reaction her work elicits in the youth. She takes note of their talents and high commitment to our future. These discerning viewers perceive her abstraction exactly as she envisions, recognizing in it a reflection of their own pre-existing experience. Her painting "mirrors our shared perception of the world we live in," as she describes it.

Halaby is an internationally recognized artist known for her exceptional talent. Alongside her artistic pursuits, she is a dedicated advocate for Palestinian rights.

The exhibition is part of the Lasting Impressions series, held annually at the Sharjah Art Museum. The aim is to focus on prominent Arab artists who had a prolific career and left a lasting impression on the development and evolution of modern art in the Arab world.