BEIRUT: Ihab Ahmad, a 35-year-old abstract expressionist artist based in Beirut, works mostly with Acrylic on canvas. He creates background platforms, places harmonious shapes, colors, and lines to end up with breathtaking paintings.

Ahmad, a Lebanese University graduate, showcased his last Tuesday at Carré d’artistes, Downtown.

“He has been selected to be the first ever Lebanese artist to join this network of galleries around the world by Carré d’artistes headquarters in Aix-en-Provence France,” the gallery manager of the Lebanese branch, Maissaa Fatté, told Annahar.

40 paintings, which are in small format and 7 others in large format along with paintings of 15 other international artists from 15 countries were exhibited. His are strong in color, eccentric in shape, and festooned with futuristic details.

During last week's exhibition opening, the gallery was fully populated with art lovers squeezing by huddled groups. Many exhibition goers reported they were excited to buy the newest painting collection of Ihab Ahmad, while others claimed to have come to admire the artistic illustrations on the wall.

Inside the gallery’s cozy space, Ahmad, the founder of Beirut Art Studio, a creative space teaching Art and Design in Beirut, explained his techniques and signed autographs on his paintings for many buyers.

Furthermore, he is not only the founder of Beirut Art Studio, but also an instructor.

He teaches a variety of painting workshops for adults, including painting techniques, media, and historical approaches to art. He trains painting basics, colors, the use of a variety of materials including acrylic, tempera paint, paper, and canvas.

Visuals and symbols are not uncommon features in his works.

“I like for my paintings to look lively and fresh, in my illustrations, I always use many symbols such as the eyes, fish, houses; indeed, all of nature and everything surrounding us,” Ahmad told Annahar.

According to one of the attendees, the artist's work is quote modern and refreshing. What drew her most to the artist’s work was his medium of painting. “I was taken by his use of colors, especially the green and blue,” she told Annahar, adding that “It’s vibrant, vivid, and fascinating.”

The current Beirut exhibition is labeled Reality vs. Dream. Ahmad explained to Annahar that he chose this title as he tends to go back to the memories of his own childhood, which he regards as an escape from the materialistic world people live in.

For Ahmad, the forms and the colors that people hold from early childhood are very special.

“As I recall from my childhood, Lebanese people face challenges in their everyday life, as a consequence reality becomes very hard, and thus every Lebanese needs to dream,” he said.

He expressed his personal philosophy in art.

“I tried to dream of a better world, future, and show people how life is from my angle, and this is how I came up with the concept of reality vs. dream,” he added.

Ahmad’s works are a representation of pristine childish joy, he aims to send a message of hope in his artworks, a gift for the people of his generation.

For Ahmad, to dream is to be.

His formula is to place more focus on dreaming, “if we don't have the resources to make a change, we can all at least dream of it,” he told Annahar.