La Dolce Vita Exhibition at Galerie Tanit

The Galerie Tanit is hosting an exhibition by Marwan Chamaa called “La Dolce Vita”. The gallery will hold a special event hosted and organized by Plastik Magazine to inaugurate the exhibition which features 12 paintings that tell the story of Yasmine, a young woman seeking La Dolce Vita.

La Dolce Vita was born from the intertwinement of the vastness of the consumer billboards with the subject matter of our world today. The series weaves the components of our world with a little dash of retro nostalgia. It is a series of 12 collage paintings that flow from one canvas to the next to form a 22 meters mural.

The series depicts our world in terms of globalisation: from the luxury labels and brands, fast food culture, our obsession with the physical external beauty and fancy expensive material objects, to the self-indulgence of our time. The series is an illustrated narrative of a romantic story set against the backdrop of a decadent metropolis starring characters very representative of our time.

Marwanʼs natural progression to use this descriptive narrative painting as an interpretation of his surroundings leaves the audience discussing and interpreting what La Dolce Vita represents to them.

La Dolce Vita exudes universality. Although the story of La Dolce Vita series is set in Beirut, it could be transposed to any cosmopolitan city. Be it Los Angeles, Tokyo, Dubai, Paris, Istanbul, New York…It is the story of an “It” girl in dire pursuit of the glamorous lifestyle, La Dolce Vita.

She hooks up with the rich older lecherous man who is inclined to spend a fortune on arm candy (with benefits, of course). The Hermes Birkin, Le Must De Cartier, the Jimmy Choos, all come with a price and the “It” girl is there at the receiving end. However, in Marwan Chamaaʼs narrative painting, there is a twist and drama to the plot, a back-stage love story that keeps the audience guessing the outcome.