To Look at a Painting Is to Look at Ourselves
Southsea Cinema & Arts Centre presents Falling into the Picture, a solo exhibition by Leyla Sabah, an artist, educator, and traveller whose practice explores painting as a path of inner development and conscious presence.
For Leyla Sabah, painting is not an object to be judged, but a process of becoming. Her work invites viewers to step beyond comparison, expectation, and representation — and instead enter a direct, intuitive relationship with colour, line, and form.
“To look at a painting is to look at ourselves. To read a painting is to read existence.
To paint is to build ourselvesIn my practice, painting is not imitation but a natural ordering of colour, line, and form. When comparison and expectation fall away, the image emerges on its own, revealing personal language. I see art as a process of inner development — a quiet journey where beauty is sensed, not possessed. The artist is not the one who captures beauty, but the one who is not caught by it.”
About the Work
In Falling into the Picture, Leyla Sabah approaches painting as a living arrangement — a quiet yet powerful ordering of colour, movement, and rhythm. Just as we organise numbers, words, clothes, and objects in daily life, painting becomes an act of inner alignment.
When imitation and comparison fall away, the image forms naturally. Each person’s visual language emerges authentically, carrying its own rhythm and truth. Sabah’s work reflects this belief: her paintings are sincere, open, and grounded in lived awareness.
“The difference between a mature person and an immature one
is like the difference between music and noise.”
Art as Inner Development
Alongside her visual practice, Leyla Sabah has developed and shared her long-standing methodology “Art for Personal Development” (Resimle İçgelişim) — a practice that encourages individuals to reconnect with their intuition through creative expression.
Her philosophy is clear:
“The artist is the one who is not caught by the beauty she captures.”
The artist Statement:
‘Painting is a way of looking inward.
To look at a painting is to look at ourselves; to paint is to build ourselves.
In my practice, painting is not imitation but a natural ordering of colour, line, and form. When comparison and expectation fall away, the image emerges on its own, revealing personal language.
I see art as a process of inner development — a quiet journey where beauty is sensed, not possessed. The artist is not the one who captures beauty, but the one who is not caught by it.’
This exhibition invites audiences not only to view artworks, but to enter them, to slow down, and to encounter their own perceptions without judgement.
Workshops
🖍 The Pleasure in Scribbling
📅 Sundays 25 January & 15 February
🕑 2–4 PM
📌 Reservation required
These participatory workshops offer an accessible entry into Leyla Sabah’s approach, welcoming anyone interested in creativity as a form of awareness and personal exploration.
About the Artist
Leyla Sabah (L. Sabah) entered the Painting Department at Mimar Sinan University in 1994. She is an internationally exhibiting artist, educator, and active participant in biennials, fairs, and group exhibitions both in Turkey and abroad.
She is a core member of the public art collective “Güzelliğin Çoğaltılması” (Creating Beauty), known for street-based and community art actions. Sabah is also the author of several books, including:
• Art for Personal Development (Resimle İçgelişim)
• Moonbird (Aykusu)
• Aşk-ı Kar
• Güzel-İz
She continues to share her work through exhibitions, workshops, and publications, bridging art, philosophy, and lived experience.
Exhibition Details
🗓 Dates: 18 January – 18 February 2026
🎉
Preview: Sunrday 18 January, 3 PM
📍 Venue: Southsea Cinema & Arts Centre
1–3 Palmerston Road, Southsea, Portsmouth, PO5 3QQ
🕛 Opening Hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 12–7 PM
🌐 www.leylasabah.com
✉️ elsabah@ymail.com