Beiruit, Lebanon – The Agial Gallery is proud to present a solo exhibition of works by Lebanese painter Oussamma Baalbaki. “Oussama Baalbaki: Rituals of Isolation” will be on view at the gallery from May 5th until May 21st. The traditional self-portrait is a request of recognition addressed by the painter to society at large, a proclamation of his irreplaceable idiosyncrasy. Oussama Baalbaki’s (b.1978) self portrayals are, contrariwise, a demand of seclusion, a denial to recognize society and its intrinsic barbarity, a repudiation of heteronomy and a proclamation of the artist’s moral and creative autonomy. Through their ambiguity, their humor, their irony and their derision, Oussama Baalbaki’s self-portraits edict a code of ethics of painting practice.