Emotion Unleashed: Ihab Ahmad’s ‘I PUT MY BRAIN ON PAUSE!’ Opens at Firetti Contemporary in Dubai
Dubai, UAE – Opening June 20, 2025 at Firetti Contemporary, Alserkal Avenue
A powerful new chapter unfolds in the UAE’s vibrant contemporary art scene as Lebanese artist Ihab Ahmad debuts his latest solo exhibition, “I PUT MY BRAIN ON PAUSE!”, at Firetti Contemporary, Dubai. Opening to the public on June 20, 2025, this daring collection invites visitors into a realm of instinct, emotional expression, and surreal playfulness — a bold departure from Ahmad’s previous works.
Ihab Ahmad, Happy Birthday Noah
Ahmad, who has exhibited across global art capitals including Beirut, Miami, Paris, and China, brings his most intimate and uninhibited body of work yet to the heart of Dubai’s contemporary art hub. For the first time in his career, he embraces smiling faces and childlike motifs in his paintings — delicate yet expressive reflections of memory, human connection, and joy.
“I let go of technical perfection and gave in to what I was feeling,” Ahmad explains. “Each work is an emotional record of my experience with people — real or imagined.”
Ihab Ahmad, Ladybird
Working with oil on linen, spray paint, and even his non-dominant hand, Ahmad dissolves the boundary between abstraction and figuration, producing works that are raw, vibrant, and deeply personal. Every painting pulses with a spontaneous energy, revealing the artist’s trust in emotion over intellect, instinct over control.
Beyond the canvas, Ahmad expands his dreamlike universe with totem-like wooden sculptures — surreal figures that breathe life into the gallery space and invite tactile interaction. His shift into three-dimensional forms underscores his desire to immerse the viewer completely, to collapse the space between the imagined and the physical.
Ihab Ahmad, Summer
A standout feature of the exhibition is a Lamborghini transformed into a moving artwork, created in collaboration with Lamborghini Abu Dhabi & Dubai and Firetti Contemporary. Shown for the first time in a gallery context, this extraordinary installation blends automotive design with artistic imagination, pushing Ahmad’s visual language into the realms of public performance, luxury art, and urban intervention.
This exhibition follows Ahmad’s earlier UAE-based commission The Majlis at Lamborghini Returns: Where Art, Heritage, and Innovation Converge, also featured on Martyn White UK. That project marked an exciting dialogue between contemporary creativity and cultural identity — a dialogue that continues and evolves through I PUT MY BRAIN ON PAUSE! as the artist ventures further into the emotional and intuitive.
Ihab Ahmad, ABRACADABRA
As Dubai continues to position itself as a leading art destination in the Middle East, Ahmad’s exhibition is a testament to the city’s thriving cultural ecosystem, where experimental voices and cross-disciplinary collaborations flourish.
“I PUT MY BRAIN ON PAUSE!” is not just an art exhibition — it is an invitation to feel, to let go, and to rediscover the joy of imagination. Whether you are an art collector, cultural enthusiast, or curious visitor in Dubai, this is a show that resonates far beyond the visual.
Exhibition Details:
Title: I PUT MY BRAIN ON PAUSE!
Artist: Ihab Ahmad
Venue: Firetti Contemporary, Dubai, UAE
Opening Date: June 20, 2025
In collaboration with: Lamborghini Abu Dhabi & Dubai
About the Artist:
Ihab Ahmad (b. 1983, Beirut) is a Lebanese contemporary artist known for his bold exploration of colour, symbolism, and material experimentation. With a background in Visual Communication from the Lebanese University, he has developed a practice rooted in storytelling, abstract geometry, and emotional resonance. His works — spanning painting, wood, and metal sculpture — explore the harmony between nature and humanity, often incorporating recurring symbols such as fish, eyes, and trees.
Having exhibited in France, China, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates, Ihab continues to captivate audiences with his immersive and intuitive worlds, each piece a portal to something deeply human, deeply felt.
