e-Catalogue - Majd Kurdieh 2021 | Watermelon Peace

MAJD KURDIEH 

Watermelon Peace 

مجد كردية 

سالم بطيخي

عن المعرض 

في هذه المجموعة األخيرة بعنوان ‏"سالم بطيخي"‏ ، يعترف مجد كردية 

بقوة باالضطرابات والتململ المتزايدين للبشرية ويتصدى لذلك بقوة 

الحب الثابت واإليمان واكتشاف السالم الداخلي.‏ 

ليس جديدا على أعمال كردية نشر الضوء واللون،‏ وتقديم جمالية 

عاطفية مماثلة للموضوع نفسه..‏ فمنذ تقديم عصابة الفراشة المخيفة 

وشخصياتها في عام ٢٠١٤، ومن خالل معارضه المختلفة،‏ تفوق كرديه في 

التعبير عن واقعنا من خالل ضربات فرشاته وقوة كلماته.‏ 

ولعل البراءة البصرية لألعمال الممثلة في مجموعته،‏ إلى جانب قوة النثر 

والشعر،‏ هي التي تجعل عمله مؤثرا جدا.‏ 

يقول كرديه : أنك لو رغبت في النظر بعمق كاف ستعرف أن فنه 

وشخصياته هي من هذا العالم،‏ وليست مجرد خيال،‏ وأنه من خالل 

لوحاته يقدم بوابة لألمل والتكاتف إذا كنت ترغب في تجربة ذلك.‏ 

About The Exhibition 

In this latest collection represented under Watermelon Peace, Majd 

Kurdieh strongly acknowledges humanity’s increasing turmoil and 

restlessness and counteracts with portrayals of unwavering love, 

belief and discovery of inner peace. 

Unsurprisingly, the paintings burst with light and color, offering up an 

aesthetic as passionate as the topic itself. Since the introduction of 

The Scary Butterfly Gang and its characters in 2014, and through all 

his various exhibitions, Kurdieh is masterful in his ability to express 

our realities through the strokes of his brush and the power of his 

words. 

It is perhaps the visual innocence of the works represented in his 

collection, coupled with the power of prose and poetry, that deem his 

work so poignant. As noted by Kurdieh, his art and its characters are 

of this world, not merely a fantasy. If you care to look deeply enough, 

he offers a portal to a place of hope and togetherness should you 

wish to experience it.

exclitlt hw \he garig on oowon of' the \lalemielon Peace exlitltbl 

- Mr. ' a Ml for a heart I III aroi\ ,poof. 

• I-It. Mtallj Ill tel !1(11 eviryh,g WI\ me. 

- M !he, l1ew awa11 

 

• Tom ail e Is lo b1IIW aroi\ me l1ew away her. 

- \le move on to FMM am Fmrith ro oari 111 aroi\ ther stories In tl1s exl1Wlon. 

• Tus Is riot an txlil:ttl ·s a plllertlf of' l'mlclt lie exlNl1!t and memories, and h!, 111 

ch IQ/ we resemli4e !PA M haj 11e mlllh pre,11er than 111. We haj (bi't rio .toi we 

!Ital 1ihel' lfflllltlil(d sorrows. 

- And here Is It. \/hale of' sorrfltl. Alwrx If lPII please. 

!iflll, /'rC111 where, 111t, .toi am 1s It as J11!1 expr,od? 

• These malr.e one m Ltrs fly

In my heart, the sunset lasts forever. 

Where does nostalgia take us? 

Majd Kurdieh, 2021, 

oil on canvas, 35 x 50 cm 

AED 3,600 | JOD 700 | USD 980 



AED 3,600 | JOD 700 | USD 980 

I lean on you, using your light to write. 

All I do is hold the pen. 

Countries have become a cloud with a 

whale in it and you are inside that whale. 

But I know nothing of the impossible my 

sweet rose. 



AED 3,600 | JOD 700 | USD 980 



AED 3,600 | JOD 700 | USD 980

“- Oh cloud seller, how much is 

my heart worth? 

* It’s worth the world 

and everything in it.” 

I sent you watermelon peace. 



AED 3,600 | JOD 700 | USD 980 



SOLD 

“- Be careful bird, the sky isn’t rosy. 

But you wouldn’t fly in the sky that the 

artist painted for you. 

* Where is the bird in this painting? 

- He is looking at it now.” 

Emergency landing on the cactus because 

of a defect in the watermelon jet engines 

(“Cactus” and “patience” 

are the same word in Arabic) 



AED 3,600 | JOD 700 | USD 980 



AED 3,600 | JOD 700 | USD 980

I tolerate my heart and its doings 

only because it loves you Ms. Butterfly. 

If you please, may I know how I am? 



AED 3,600 | JOD 700 | USD 980 


oil on paper, 35 x 45 

AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 

The trace you left behind is the 

most beautiful part of me Ms. Butterfly. 

Simply you and I my sweet rose. 



AED 3,600 | JOD 700 | USD 980 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680

Hello, hello, who is it? 

Hello Ms. Shlulakhia Sadness. 

I’m sorry, I’m busy 

because I am with my sweet rose. 

With no pride whatsoever, 

the King of Watermelon has awarded 

Sorrow a medal for Employee of the Year 

because it was never absent. Not even for a day. 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 

I feel safe because you are with me 

and because my shell is made up of a 

watermelon and a book. 

You are my life jacket 

and you don’t even know it. 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680

And if the worries ask about me, 

please tell them I haven’t seen them 

since the birds flew freely in the sky. 

Cactus or hope? 


are same word in Arabic). 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 


oil on paper, 40 x 50 cm 

AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 

I invented a machine that conquers the 

impossible but I surrender to your eyes 

my sweet rose. 

When the fog wraps around me 

I ask myself: am I sad or do I just love you? 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680

Oh Ms. Butterfly, I dream that my heart 

will be on my side for once. 

“- How did your sorrow fit behind a butterfly? 

* Just like the universe fits in a word.” 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 

I surrender to your storm my sweet rose. 

In the song of the universe, 

you are the improvised clip. 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680

The heart flies safely within you. 

The abyss is but one of your combs. 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 

He is so accustomed to trouble 

that his perilous journey is like a trip home. 

- Annonymous 

When I saw you, 

I became a sky so the heart could fly. 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680

I dream of being a good guest in this world. 

Thank you Ms. Butterfly 

for sweeping up my storms. 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 

Every bird longs for the sky, 

except the one painted on your dress. 

How can you carry the intolerable 

with no hands? 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680

If a star fell on me, 

I’d forget everything but you my sweet rose. 

Watermlon cactus. 

That’s how we make cactus entertaining. 


are the same word in Arabic). 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 

"Our king, oh King of Watermelon, 

what did the butterfly say to you? 

*Life becomes harder when they tell you its 

not hard, and you are the one not smiling." 

How did I find you in this world, 

my sweet rose? 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680

When everything is alright, I worry as if I have 

forgotten something I need to worry about. 

I always paint you in the best spot on the canvas. 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 

The sea is unpredictable yet constant, 

while the rocks, proud of their stability, 

have drifted with the torrent. 

My smile stems from the fire in my heart. 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680

“Oh our king, are you finished making the 

dangerous vehicle that will take us 

to the place that doesn’t exist? 

*Of course, of course. 

-Long live the King of Watermelon” 

The universe is a cup of tea and you are its mint. 



SOLD 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 

I am strange like you, strange world. 

So why did we never become friends? 

You are the only one that can save me 

from the mess of my thoughts, 




AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680

Oh my sweet rose, 

the birds flying fearlessly are under your spell. 

I paint the world quickly for I only have time for 

you, my sweet rose. 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 

I study your hidden signals to understand 

what I should do next. 

With you, the world is frosted with cream, 

my sweet flower 



AED 2,500 | JOD 480 | USD 680 


watercolor on paper, 30 x 40 cm 

SOLD

I’m afraid time is running out 

- Ahmed Shafeeq Kamel 

On the journey, I love you more 

– Darwish 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 

The Elephant with a fish for a heart 

now resides within it and asks: 

where is the light switch, my heart? 

Nothing pains me in your absence 

but the solitude of the universe 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600

Emotions shine like golden clouds 

on cypress trees. - Mahmoud Darwish 

This is my night 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 

The way to your heart was roses and stars. 

At least that’s what the story said. 

Not every woman with hennaed fingertips 

is Buthayna and not every man 

with a broken heart is Jameel 

- Bahaa Aldin Zuhair 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600

I gaze into my heart and hope for good 

The neighbors take joy in seeing her. 



SOLD 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 

Close is the trip, far is the destination. 

You always grow against the current, 




AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600

A face as if the sun shone upon it – Turfah 

Earth is lovers’ exile 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 

That passionate night will not be repeated. 

Let the tears fill your eyes. 

- Al Summat Al Kushairi 

You are my reality, and the world is an illusion 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600

I’d know you in the dark, in a crowd, 

and with my eyes closed 

Two old olive trees in the northeast. 

I hid in the first to deceive the narrator 

and hid the wildflowers in the second. 

- Mahmoud Darwish 



SOLD 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 

“[Book title] The philosophy of 

jumping in the sea 

You are clear skies in a stormy world 

-You jumped in the sea, and then what happened? 

*Then in the sea I jump— 

-Turn the page, my heart 

*I jump in the sea until the end of time 

-Do you mean until the end of the book? 

*Then in the sea I jump 

-But my heart 

*Till the end of time 

-[asjah skhfskhf]*. *discussion continues” 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600

Follow me. The monster’s not frightening. 

If we’re defeated, 

it’s only because we didn’t love enough. 

I’m dressed in a pilot’s uniform but, 

your hair takes me wherever it wishes 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 

I remember you on this spring evening, 

and the sadness leaves me as if 

war never existed and as if all is well 

Will you have a drink of mulukhieh with me 

while the storm passes, my sweet rose? 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600

How limited is living without the space of hope 

- AlTughra’i 

“With you now is King of the Watermelon live 

from the opening of the Sadness Eating Factory 

-Our King, tell us about the factory in detail 

*Honestly, love manufactures sadness and then 

consumes it. I’m here simply to cut the ribbon. 

Pass my regards to loved ones everywhere.” 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 

“-Oh, our king, King of the Watermelon. 

What lies at the end of patience? 

*The cactus flower. 

Oh, my heart, sit still a moment so the picture is 

clear. That way, I can tell if you were sad so I may 

be sad, or if you were happy, so I may be happy. 


are the same word in Arabic)” 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600

Here is a glance that captivates my heart. 

- Al Abbas Bin Al Ahtaf 

You’ve washed my dreams anew 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 

“I was afflicted by my love for Layla, 

and she was the remedy 

- Qais 

Oh, Miss Butterfly, the sorrows fall asleep 

to the sound of your wings. 

(Layla and Qais’s love story can be 

likened to that of Romeo and Juliet) 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600

I left my love without saying goodbye, 

and in doing so, I bid farewell to misery 

without shaking its hand – AlMutanabbi 

Oh, Miss butterfly, whenever I begin to drift, 

the heart carries me back to you. 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 

“=-Oh Abyss, would you drink coffee with me? 

*If you know how I take it 

-Without sugar because you yourself are deep 

*you truly know nothing of the impossible” 

Oh, Miss Butterfly, 

you complete the watermelon of my life. 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 



SOLD

I draw you over the storm and it quietens. 

“[Book title] Learn how patient I am so far from 

my sweet rose 

In your absence my sweet rose, I wrote a book 

full of rational, historical, physical, astronomical, 

emotional and mulukhieh fallacies.” 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 

Oh, my heart, I believe you must 

find a different hobby. 

Stay away from the one 

where you magnify issues. 

How do you give meaning 

to this scrambled life, you magician? 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600 



AED 2,200 | JOD 425 | USD 600

Majd Kurdieh (b. 1985, Syria) 

Artist Majd Kurdieh’s practice incorporates painting, drawing, and 

literature using recurring figures that stand to tell a story, usually 

carrying a strong moral and positive reinforcement that the artist 

projects into the world. 

Kurdieh turned to more childlike paintings in which he incorporates 

strong literary and story-telling techniques. He paints recurring 

whimsical characters that seem to narrate a story. Over the past 

four years, the artist has created a ‘cast of characters’, the two main 

ones being the Fasaeen (Arabic for ‘tiny ones’). The stories told 

through the representation of these figures are not specific stories 

that the artist references but rather ones that could apply to any 

viewer, leaving room for personal interpretation. The Fasaeen, one 

boy (Fasoon) and one girl (Fasooneh), always smiling despite the fact 

their world is filled with hardships, are usually accompanied by other 

characters, together known as The Scary Butterfly Gang. 

Recently, Kurdieh has featured in solo and group exhibitions at 

MADS Gallery, Milan, Italy (2021); Azad Art Gallery, Cairo (2021; 

2020); Egypt Art Fair (2021; 2020); BBA Gallery, Berlin (2019), Fann 

A Porter, Jordan (2021, 2020, 2019); Fann-A-Porter, Dubai (2021, 

2020, 2019, 2018, 2016), El-Sawy Culture Wheel, Cairo (2019), and 

Athar Al Farasheh, Aleppo (2011), Sikka Art Fair, Dubai (2018) and 

Art Bahrain, Manama (2019, 2018). His works are housed in public 

and private collections in the Middle East and abroad, including HE 

Dr. Zaki Nusseibeh’s private collection and Atassi Foundation. 

Born in Aleppo, Syria in 1985, Kurdieh lives and works in Amsheet, 

Lebanon.

About Fann A Porter® 

Fann A Porter is a contemporary art gallery that represents a diverse selection of emerging 

international and regional artists, with locations in Dubai, UAE and Amman, Jordan. The 

gallery aims to nurture the burgeoning and dynamic contemporary art scene through quality 

exhibitions, non-profit events, auctions, and an active community program. 

The gallery’s exhibition program includes ten curated exhibitions a year, and features artists 

working across diverse media. Fann A Porter has established a series of dialogues and 

collaborations with curators, writers, museums, governmental entities, and institutions to 

affirm its commitment to support the long-term development of young contemporary artists 

from the Middle East. 

In 2015, the gallery organized a charity auction Artists for the Kids of Syria under the 

patronage of His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Culture 

and in collaboration with the UAE Red Crescent. The charity auction helped raise over AED 

500,000 to help the children in the refugee camps in Jordan. In 2019, the gallery launched Art 

for All Collective (AFA) to provide a platform to make quality art accessible through bespoke 

payment plans, a first of its kind initiative for the Middle East. 

By hosting a regular public programming including exhibitions, talks, non-profit initiatives, 

and by participating in fairs, Fann A Porter has established itself in forefront of the region’s 

exciting arts landscape. 

Founded in 2009 by collector Ghada Kunash, the gallery was initially known as Vindemia.art, 

opened adjacent to and under the umbrella of Vindemia, an antiques and collectibles gallery 

at Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai. In 2010, the gallery partnered with Kempinski Hotel Mall 

of The Emirates, for a dedicated space for the art. In 2014, under the same trade license of 

Vindemia Novelties LLC, the art gallery was rebranded to Fann A Porter. 

In 2016, Ghada Kunash opened The Workshop Dubai, combining her two ventures – Vindemia 

and Fann A Porter, a unique community space consisting of a café and design space, providing 

visitors with a unique artistic and cultural experience. The Workshop Dubai, with its naturally 

bathed garden, is located in the heart of Jumeirah. 

In 2020, with the vision to expand and provide a local platform, Ghada Kunash opened a 

second Fann A Porter outpost, in Amman, located at Manara Arts & Culture, a creative hub 

and social space in the heart of Jabal Al Lweibdeh. 

Dubai Head Office 

Villa 45, Street 23B, Jumeirah 2, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 

fann@theworkshopdubai.com 

+971 4 341 2595 

P.O. Box 215457 Dubai, United Arab Emirates 

www.fannaporter.com 

Amman Branch 

Manara Arts and Culture, Dirar Ben Al-Azwar, St. 56, Amman, Jordan 

amman@fannaporter.com 

+962 79 716 7022 

FannAPorter

e-Catalogue - Majd Kurdieh 2021 | Watermelon Peace

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?