Residency

  • Meet Residents Samo Shalaby and Malik Thomas Jalil

    As part of La Serena Hotel’s dedication to the arts, they offer creatives from around the world the chance to embrace the artistic heritage of Forte dei Marmi through their artist residency programme.

     

    The residency aims to connect ambitious artists, writers, and creatives, providing them with a global platform and inspiring the next generation of visionaries through immersive experiences in a stimulating environment.

    This summer, we are excited to welcome the first artists in residence - Samo Shalaby and Malik Thomas Jalil. As they set off to the Italian coast, we get to know the residents and their plans for their artistic escape. 

  • Malik Thomas Jalil
    Malik Thomas Jalil

    @MalikThomasJalil

    23 May - 10 June

    Malik: I am a British-Iraqi artist based in Amman. I practise image-making through painting and drawing, with a background in textile print and dye work that supports my artistic practice. I explore drawing and printmaking as means of representing the male figure in various scenarios, which allows me to examine my own relationship to my desires. My work centres around the veneration of the male form, both figural and abstract.

    Malik: Figuration and tenderness are central themes in my output. I am interested in representing and conjuring forms from memory, using imagined and lived encounters with the male form to explore inner worlds and the world around me. My work reflects on the honest and sensual depictions of mundane and hidden encounters. I aim to illuminate desire, be aware of glimpses of sublime experience when navigating closeted worlds, and explore the emergence of figures from layered work. Some pieces incorporate sacred and mythological references, offering alternative ways to represent the layers of being.

     
  • Malik: Core to my material explorations are raw silk and cotton, forming the base layers of my paintings. These are...

    Malik: Core to my material explorations are raw silk and cotton, forming the base layers of my paintings. These are hand-dyed with Maramiah (sage) and madder root, a readily available medicinal herb in Amman, Jordan, where I produced these works. Painterly media such as linseed-soaked charcoal and pastel are then gesturally applied to the canvases in the form of restricted Arabesque lines, layered with fleshier strokes of oil paint to create the skeletal basis for the figural narrative. I pay close attention to the textural application of paint as much as the composition of the works, reflecting on my physical form and memories of relationships through a range of marks.

    Malik: Compositionally, my paintings move between lived and imagined experiences, exploring temporal visual encounters within public realised space and the imagination. Referencing the tableau body and intimate interpretations of Mesopotamian clay reliefs, the paintings echo central-figured compositions and structured narrative compositions.

     

  • Malik: I’m particularly interested in the element of dyeing and screen printing, which feels like magic due to the relinquishing of control and the automatic results that emerge.

    Malik: My sources of inspiration include the male form, self-portraiture, tableau-style compositional narratives referencing Mesopotamian and Persian traditions, scenes of intimacy, and scenes of emerging desire. I am also inspired by flat-style compositions that feel threaded or embroidered, as if textiles, and marks that resemble stitches.

    Malik: I hope that my work directs the viewer's attention to their own sensuality and perhaps shapes their own considerations for the nuances of our visual existence.


    Malik: During the residency, I will explore my work referencing art history in terms of techniques, materials, and composition in greater depth. I have long wanted to visit the cities of Florence, Siena, and Lucca to see the works of Mantegna, Bellini, and others. I believe that studying their works in person will feed into the work I am currently aiming to make during the residency. I also hope to take the opportunity to see Rome and immerse myself in its rich artistic heritage.

     
  • Samo Shalaby
    Samo Shalaby

    @Samo_Shalaby 

    21 June - 4 July

    Samo: My name is Samo Shalaby. I’m an Egyptian-Palestinian fine artist, primarily a painter, but I also work with photography, costume design, set design, jewellery, antiquities, and theatre.

    Samo: I navigate the realm between opposites—dark and light, fact and fiction, tragedy and comedy. My art delves into personal narratives, often veiled in symbolism and masked facades. This approach helps me decipher these narratives internally throughout the process while providing the audience with something mystical to comprehend and interpret for themselves.

    Samo: I lean towards surrealistic techniques while nodding to old master realism through a contemporary lens. Sometimes I use a vibrant palette, but in my monochromatic work, I focus on colour theory for its historical symbolism. I aim to understand the interplay between shadow and light through each hue, recognising how each pigment is chemically different and performs accordingly.

     
  • Samo: Yes, I love to use masks, drapery, locks and keys, spirits and souls, figures, doors, and windows. Each carries...

    Samo: Yes, I love to use masks, drapery, locks and keys, spirits and souls, figures, doors, and windows. Each carries its own symbolic and historical weight.

    Samo: I prefer leaving interpretation open-ended, allowing viewers to connect with my work on a personal level. I aim for them to leave with a sense of being overwhelmed with a feeling, whatever that may be.

    Samo: I’m very excited to be a part of this residency. I am looking forward to taking some time to work from a more spiritual place. I plan to focus on sketching and painting while embracing a sense of freedom versus control. My goal is to realign my mental and spiritual compass, enriching my artistic practice with intuition as my guide.