GOMMAAR GILLIAMS

Gommaar Gilliams’s work possesses the ability to transport the viewer into an ethereal realm of longing and ineffable connection. Drawing from the legacies of Abstract Expressionism and Symbolism, the artist develops a distinctive visual language that flows between figuration and abstraction. His recurring motifs are mythical figures, animals, and celestial elements who inhabit fantastical landscapes that invite the viewer into lush, dreamlike spaces. Gilliams’s practice is rooted in a process of stratification reminiscent of fresco painting. Beginning with acrylic dyes that saturate the fabric, he subsequently layers oil paints and sticks to construct dynamic surfaces where color interactions generate unfolding narratives, resulting in a richly textured, multifaceted composition. Gilliams’s practice seeks to evoke universal stories and timeless human experiences, encouraging viewers to engage with the work by reconnecting with their own “half-remembered” dreams and personal mythologies. His paintings reaffirm the capacity of painting to bridge the personal and the collective, evoking shared human memories and emotions.