Titled ’The Brother’, this painting speaks to Ballan’s emotional response to Syria’s post-war reality. The Brother is in reference home, belonging, and innocence—things lost to many in the aftermath of political upheaval.
Ballan opts for flexible, soft strokes and similarly muted colors, leaving a viewer to wonder where and when any of these scenes are set. These reinterpreted scenes are as whimsical as one would imagine the subconscious to be—a stark contrast to the bold colors and definitive lines used by the artist in the past.
Ballan is inclined towards the basics in the entire collection as a method of expressing the deepest sentiments. Through this simple yet subliminal lens, he continues to explore feeling as an integral part of
representation and memory.