This art gallery stands out. 

Literally.

In the Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery at Cuesta College, a new showing by Mohamad Hafez has been created to bring politics into art. 

Two subjects that don’t always collaborate but, when they do, have the possibility of creating masterpieces. 

And that’s what Hafez has done. Growing up in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Midwestern United States, he brings the worst of both worlds into the best of artworks. His art portrays political turmoil from the Middle East in meticulous pieces constructed through his background in architecture.

Hafez doesn’t only have the contrasting characteristics of the East and West in him, but pessimism and optimism. His art shows scenes of destruction while comparing hope for the future. The Syrian artist aims to bring the fragility of human life forward in his surreal streetscapes. 

Hafez has been featured by The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Yorker and National Public Radio. His artwork has been in multiple esteemed exhibitions and has won him the 2018 Connecticut Arts Hero Award. 

In 2019, he was selected for London’s Apollo Magazine’s 40 under 40 artists in the Middle East. 

The Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery is located on Cuesta College’s main campus in room 7170. Hafez’s “Retrospective” collection is on display from Oct. 24 to Dec. 20.