Salam Shokor - The Study of Abnormal Anatomy

In 2015, I started working on a study that I then called “The Study of Abnormal Anatomy:” an ongoing experiment aimed to understand the roots of my attraction towards people that I select as subjects based on an unexplainable emotional trigger. After the selection, I would start by sketching their figure while allowing my interpretation of their aura, emotions, thoughts, and sexuality to overpower and often distort their actual physical proportions. The finished drawing is a vaguely annotated personal observation that serves as a piece of data that contributes to my understanding of this fascination.

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Phase 4

Phase 5

Phase 6

Phase 7

Phase 8

Study 4

Study 5

Study 6

The pieces that I called "Phases" represent episodes of transformation; from normal to abnormal. "Normal" being humans in their natural physical form, "Abnormal" on the other hand portraying them inside out, emotions and expressions as colors and lines. I peeled off the masking layers of the body to achieve the "Study" pieces; a state that is yet to be discovered.

“Photographs are not only points of reference; they’re often triggers of ideas (...) I’ve always been haunted by them.” —Francis Bacon

Sketch 1

Sketch 1'

Sketch 2

Sketch 2'

Sketch 3

Sketch 3'

Sketch 5

Sketch 4

Study 21

Study 22

The portraits presented in this study are a mixture of both sexes and include auto portraits, giving the study a self-reflective component.

Since then, I have showcased the results of the etude in two collective exhibitions in Beirut: First in December 2015, at Alt City, Hamra, Beirut, and then in August 2016, at Sole Insight, Mar Mkhayel, Beirut.