Nothing is True, Everything Is Possible

This work was created in response to poetic theatre texts written by Habibah Sheikh, a nomadic performance artist originally from Lebanon, and the curator of the Mitli Mitlak (Like You, Like Me) exhibition. In the text, a character named Ruba experiences the destruction of war firsthand and becomes a refugee in the process.

This painting represents a scene in Mitli Mitlak (Like You, Like Me). There is a mythical character called ‘Spirit Master’, who separates Ruba’s spirit from her lifeless body, and conducts a soul migration ceremony for her to go to the light in the ‘Out of Life’.

Abbas Yousif’s painting overlaps the below two sentences spoken by the Spirit Master, in painted Arabic letters:

Mitli Mitlak (Like You, Like Me), Act 1 Scene 4

Spirit Master: Nothing Is An Act, But Nothing Is The Truth, Except What Comes After Death. There Is No Such Thing As Facts. Nothing Is True, Everything Is Possible.

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Abbas Yousif’s multimedia works are made from calligraphy and Arabic alphabet. The Arabic letters are charged with explosive graphic symbols, which are like “spells” and aesthetically abstract. He applies different colors, printing techniques, collage, pastes, huge canvas, zinc etching on zinc, copper and silkscreen in his process.