Rima Nasser: Can you briefly describe your relationship with the Dalloul Foundation and how their support has influenced your artistic career?
Hady Sy: My relationship with DAF starts primarily with the personal friendship that I have with Basel Dalloul that we built up through the years. Concerning DAF directly, they acquired at first one of my major pieces Big Business from my Sifr solo show at Saleh Barakat Gallery and they provided once a whole room at the foundation for three months to showcase my works. This brought attentiveness, visibility and a certain new “regard” to my name in the region. I was just arriving to Beirut from NYC.
RN: What specific forms of support or resources from the Dalloul Foundation have been most instrumental in your artistic development?
HS: The Dalloul Art Foundation’s acquisition of significant artworks for their permanent collection, as well as facilitating introductions to influential figures within the cultural, artistic, and commercial sectors in the Arab world, has helped my artistic development significantly.
RN: Basel Dalloul is known for his commitment to art and culture. How has his vision shaped the themes or concepts in your work?
HS: What is beautiful with Basel is that he never tells you what to do. He respects artists. He always pushes for freedom of speech, expression; we talk, converse, debate, laugh, around a drink, a lunch or a dinner. He possesses a broad cultural perspective and a global vision, coupled with a deep understanding of humanity, which aligns seamlessly with my body of work. As the saying goes, “Let people do what they wanna do, so you see what they’d rather do. That’ll answer all the questions you have”.
RN: As an established artist, what role do you see the Dalloul Foundation playing in the broader art community, particularly in promoting cultural exchange and artistic expression?
HS: First of all to continue to do what they’re already doing. I’d love the foundation to be more active worldwide showing the works and sharing the minds and spirit of the artists of the region because as we say in French: “L’Art est le plus proche chemin de l’Homme à l’Homme.”
RN: Could you share any upcoming projects or exhibitions that showcase your collaboration with the Dalloul Foundation and your artistic journey?
HS: DAF recently acquired five pieces, which comprises of the entire body of work of the SIFR | ZERO Dollar. My upcoming solo exhibition is scheduled for March 2024 at the Saleh Barakat Gallery. While I can’t disclose the title at this time, Basel has already reserved some significant works for DAF. He consistently strives to be at the forefront of such acquisitions.