Emerging during the 20th century as an avant-garde movement, surrealism aimed to transform human encounters within the realms of both art and literature. By weaving together elements of fantasy, mythology, and dreamscapes, this artistic genre harmonises a reasoned outlook on life with one that embraces the potency of the subconscious and reveries. Within surrealism's artistic tapestry, practitioners unearth enchantment and enigmatic allure amidst the unforeseen, the eerie, the overlooked, and the unconventional.
Disconnected by Noura Ali
“To be a surrealist means barring from your mind all remembrance of what you have seen, and being always on the lookout for what has never been.” - Rene Magritte.
A defining hallmark of surrealist art resides in the inexplicable fusion of disparate images. Surrealist visionaries embarked on daring experimentation across a spectrum of mediums, encompassing prose, canvases adorned with paint, audacious techniques, tangible creations, snapshots frozen in time, and even the cinematic realm. The creators harnessed and pioneered a medley of techniques and playful methods, including automatism, assemblage, spontaneous drawing, texture rubbing, transferring, and scraping. These practices held the intention of delving into an uninhibited stream of creativity, unburdened by deliberate choices and the constraints of rational thought.
Marítima by Liz Ramos-Prado
Surreal City by John Fung
Feature Image: Liz Ramos-Prado