To celebrate SEAL’s 20th anniversary, the Lebanese sculptor Nayla Romanos Iliya and Nayla Hadchiti, a New York-based art advisor, announced a new sculpture Hobb - حب , 2017, from Romanos Iliya’s seminal work “The Scrabble Series”.
Named for the word “Love” in Arabic. It is composed of the two characters inspired by the Phoenician letters “Heth” and “Beth”, which are the origin of Arabic letters ‘ح’ and ‘ب’ meaning respectively “wall” and “house”. The bronze sculpture is fixed on plywood and mirrored steel. The layers of the wood make reference to the rich history of past civilizations, while the steel evokes the reflective nature of water. This series celebrates Phoenicians as great seafarers, who spread their alphabet during their maritime journeys across many other cultures. The artist gives new life to these archaic symbols and use form and material to convey a message or tell stories. “This is a way of reconciling the present while paying tribute to the past” said Romanos Iliya.
"Hobb - حب 2017" a limited edition of 20 sculptures are to be sold in support of SEAL’s work. If you are interested in purchasing a sculpture please contact us at seal-usa@seal-usa.org.