The Salon by NADA & The Community: Paris, France

Nil Gallery is proud to present a curated group exhibition at The Salon by NADA & The Community, featuring works by Simon Buret, Gommaar Gilliams, Dimitris Gketsis, and Malik Thomas. United by themes of memory, identity, and emotional depth, these artists translate personal narratives into compelling visual forms that invite viewers to explore the complexities of introspection, myth, and abstracted experiences. Their varied approaches and media create a dynamic exploration of how inner worlds and external realities intertwine.

 

Simon Buret’s work embodies the delicate interplay between chaos and harmony. Through a rich combination of textures, forms, and color, his abstract compositions create a visual rhythm amidst apparent disorder. Buret's pieces speak to the tension between fragmentation and cohesion, offering moments of stillness and balance within turbulent, emotionally charged settings. His ability to create unity out of chaos reflects the internal workings of the human mind, where memory, perception, and emotion shift between the abstract and the tangible.

 

Gommaar Gilliams integrates the tactile nature of fabric and stitching with his abstract expressionist paintings, creating works that are both visually and physically intricate. By combining gestural strokes with the process of stitching on textiles, Gilliams builds layers of texture and color that suggest emotional complexity. The organic shapes and bold colors in his works evoke natural forms and psychological landscapes, blurring the boundaries between craft and fine art. His use of fabric adds depth to the abstraction, inviting the viewer to experience the merging of thought, feeling, and form.

 

Dimitris Gketsis brings a deep connection to his Greek heritage, crafting immersive visual narratives that blend mythology, identity, and radical imagination. His sculptural and painterly works draw from ancient myths, integrating archetypal symbols and imagery to explore how the past shapes contemporary life. Gketsis’ work transcends time, inviting viewers to engage with the timeless stories that have shaped human understanding of identity, power, and transformation. Through his intricate layering of historical and modern aesthetics, Gketsis creates thought-provoking pieces that challenge how we perceive the myths that still inform our present-day realities.

 

Malik Thomas, a British-Iraqi artist, works in abstract figurative painting and textile printmaking to explore themes of memory, intimacy, and desire. His compositions, often created on hand-dyed silk, cotton, and wool, depict male figures in emotionally charged encounters, merging figuration and abstraction to evoke a sense of longing and reflection. Thomas’s gestural approach allows his figures to drift between the real and imagined, capturing fleeting moments of emotional intensity. His work, infused with subtle references to memory and personal history, creates a space where viewers can contemplate the deeper aspects of identity and emotional experience.

 

Together, these artists form a compelling dialogue around memory, identity, and emotional introspection. Whether through fabric, paint, or sculptural forms, they explore the intersections of myth, desire, and the blurred boundaries between inner and outer worlds.