Thaier Helal’s Sanctuary design, titled Landmarks, presents a detail from a recent work in a series of abstract landscapes that conjure topography more readily than scenery. By isolating a segment in close-up, he reveals its texture and depth, drawing viewers into a complex amalgamation of color, shape, and shadow that for him speaks of both hope and sadness. “I feel like after years of war, I prefer to paint the water and the earth. It says many things and holds many stories,” he explains. “Nature has the most power—in the end it is that which will remain, not the war.”
