Baseem Rayyes
(b. 1970, Syria)
Working across painting, mixed media, and drawing, Rayyes builds layered compositions over extended periods of excavation and revision. Each canvas is resolved once and remains fixed in its final state.
Mr. Y
Mr. Y was born from that weight. He stands in for the ones who can't speak, or who chose to stay quiet. Sometimes he is the victim, sometimes the witness, sometimes the one responsible. I paint him when questions are louder than answers.
Practice
Rayyes works in layers -- of paint, but also of time. Some pieces come alive quickly. Others remain in process for years. He covers, erases, scratches, and repaints until the surface feels like a lived place, not a clean idea.
What you see in the end is not a single moment. It is fifty years of looking, doubting, correcting, and refusing to forget.
The Process
Each painting undergoes sustained revision.
Decisions accumulate.
When the work reaches coherence, it is concluded.
No further intervention occurs.
Selected Exhibitions
Exhibition History
2026
WARNING! Mr.Y Burns. — K Gallery | Solo Exhibition
2026
WARNING! Mr.Y Burns. — K Gallery | Solo Exhibition
2025
New Dimensions — Kalimat Gallery
2025
New Dimensions — Kalimat Gallery
2021
SYART — Syrian Art Far North, Norway
2021
SYART — Syrian Art Far North, Norway
2016
Opera Gallery Arabesque, Beirut Central District
2016
Opera Gallery Arabesque, Beirut Central District
2014
Opera Gallery — The Greater Middle East Unveiled, DIFC Dubai
2014
Opera Gallery — The Greater Middle East Unveiled, DIFC Dubai
2014
STL Outsider Art Fair, St. Louis, USA
2014
STL Outsider Art Fair, St. Louis, USA
2013
Alserkal Cultural Foundation, Dubai
2013
Alserkal Cultural Foundation, Dubai
Original works by Baseem Rayyes.
Dubai, UAE.
Explore
Stay Close to the Process
New releases. Private viewings.
Limited communications -- sent with intention.