Aboud Fares is a sculptor with a B.A. in Sculpture from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Damascus University, obtained in 2010. After graduating, he joined the Syrian Plastic Artists’ Union and started his own workshop beside teaching as a lecturer at the Faculty of Fine Arts.

Now he is a full-time sculptor based in Penang, working in his private workshop, using mostly iron to create abstract forms and creatures which might be related to living creatures somewhere in our universe. After many years residing on the island, he has had a number of solo exhibitions in Penang and KL, and many group exhibitions. Recently Aboud has started to print a series of sculptures (numbered) to reach a greater public. He once told me that regarding his inspiration and creativity, he starts using a material (metal, plastic or other, I suppose) and starts “playing with his materials” (like a musician playing with his violin, playing not for a ‘concert’ but literally playing, (as having a relationship with his instrument)  as he is totally enjoying the instrument, and pushes it to its limit to bring out everything it has, and there are some musicians who spring to mind, and then (Aboud) suddenly realises that he wants to make his creation beautiful.  The results are there to prove it. And he succeeds amazingly. When Aboud told me this, I was very touched and found it absolutely fabulous.  It is his other voice. A wonderful way to reach one’s creativity.  

 

Returning to his recently printed sculpture pieces, which were notably exhibited at his gallery for the exhibition titled “ Gaze Down Float Up” held from the 1st of August till the 30th, in 2025 at MassHaus on Lebuh Victoria, I found they conveyed a wonderfully dreamy and floating atmosphere, bathed in bluish lighting with clouds hanging from various heights and the sculptures were exhibited (a number, not all) in two’s nested in the clouds made of cotton wool. Beautiful, small feminine and fine faces, no larger than a tennis ball, graciously floating and giving a sense of serenity and peace. The pairs were made up of a black piece and the other white, a balance maybe and if we imagine a combination of both, a subtle colour grey emerges which reminds us that most things are bathed in various shades of grey rather than being totally black or white. Alternatively, one could take the view that opposites attract each other and combine very well to make a new world!

Aboud Fares prefers to be called (Sculptor) not (artist) as long as there’s no standards for the title (let every wannabe artist enjoy!)

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Please click here for Aboud’s Website

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Exhibitions:
Group Exhibition – French Culture Center 2011 (Damascus)
Group Exhibition- Al Kamel Gallery 2011 (Damascus)
Group Exhibition- German Culture Center 2008 (Damascus)
Group Exhibitions- Faculty of Fine Arts from 2006 to 2011 (Damascus)
Solo Untitled Exhibition – Hin Bus Depot Art Gallery (Penang- Malaysia) 2016
Revisit Exhibition – Hin Bus Depot Art Gallery (Penang- Malaysia) 2017
Solo Faces Exhibition – Keeni Kessler KKG (Pinghub) (Malaysia) 2018
ArtEDecor Art Fair – MATRADE Exhibition & Convention Center (Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia) 2019
3 Elements Group Exhibition – Penang State Gallery (State Museum) (Penang – Malaysia) 2019
REKA Exhibition – Hin Bus Depot Art Gallery (Penang- Malaysia) 2019
BOLD Exhibition – The Backyard (artist’s Workshop) (Penang- Malaysia) 2019
The 8” x 6” Project Exhibition – Project 26 Art Space (Penang- Malaysia) 2019