Growing up in Gaza, Palestinian artist Saher Nassar has been grappling with themes of power structures and humanity through his work. His latest solo exhibition in Dubai is an extension of those subjects, focusing on the concept of the soldier.

Called The Front Side Strikes The Most, the show at Zawyeh Gallery in Alserkal Avenue focuses on the soldier as a symbol of power.

Nassar uses bright, bold colours and satire to depict enticing scenes. At first, the viewer is attracted to the work by the colourful elements of pop art. But once the context of the scene makes itself apparent, the viewer is forced to reassess what they’re looking at.

In the series Target for example, two children and a young woman stand in fear and anticipation as inanimate objects – a Coke can, a Pringles box, a juice box – sit on their heads as targets.

“I'm not trying as much to criticise the soldier as to analyse, to understand how they think,”  said Nassar

“If soldiers are doing what they're doing, they must believe what they're doing is right. This is so funny to me. What makes them behave that way? My work tries to understand how this happens from many different perspectives. Sometimes I even sympathise with them.”

The Front Side Strikes The Most in Zawyeh Gallery, Alserkal Avenue, will be running until December 30, 2024