Hanging Gardens | 12 September - 12 October

Tabari Artspace: Hanging Gardens the inaugural solo exhibition of Syrian visual artist Randa Maddah who is now represented by the gallery. Maddah is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice spans painting, drawing, sculpture, video, and installation.

In her recent work, Maddah repurposes the vocabulary of traditional miniature paintings to depict dream-like scenes that negotiate themes of belonging, resilience, rootedness, rebirth, and renewal through natural elements. Hanging Gardens is a series initiated by Maddah in 2022 and further developed for this exhibition. The work embodies the notion of a spirit shaped by harsh and absurd realities, exploring themes of ecstasy, liberation, and reincarnation.

Link to Bio, CV, and Previous Exhibitions

This latest body of work, consisting of oil on canvas paintings, is influenced by the belief in reincarnation prevalent in Maddah’s region. This belief, which has long preoccupied Maddah, impacts the collective memory in the Golan Heights. Reflecting on transcendence and rebirth, Maddah suggests that the body is merely a garment the soul sheds to wear anew, offering hope that death is simply a gateway to a new life.

As a child, Maddah found solace in the nature of the Golan Heights, retreating there in times of turmoil. For Maddah, nature forms a sanctuary from pain and fear, enabling pure contemplation. The philosophy of reincarnation and her deep appreciation for the land are evident in her paintings. Maddah revisits the gardens of her youth, imagining them as metaphors for rebirth. In her compositions, circles symbolize beginnings and endings while natural elements—trees, grass, flowers, and hybrid, anamorphic creatures—express the liminal space between life and death, where complex emotions of ecstasy, liberation from fear, and a sense of futility converge.

Maddah's compositions vary in scale and extend across other mediums. Several smaller pieces (30 x 30 cm) are produced using hand-printing techniques and water-based inks. Accompanying these are three accordion-shaped art books filled with preparatory works that include hand printing, collage, sewing, and explorations in oil color techniques.

Randa Maddah

Biography

B. 1983 (Majdal Shams, occupied Syrian Golan Heights)

Randa Maddah is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice spans painting, drawing, sculpture, video, and installation. A graduate of the Adham Ismail Center in Damascus, Maddah furthered her education at the Damascus University’s Faculty of Fine Arts (2005) and the Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. She holds a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the National School of Fine Arts in Paris (2020).

Maddah’s work is deeply influenced by the political and social complexities of her homeland. Growing up in the Golan Heights, her art reflects the chaos and instability imposed by occupation. She critically engages with memory, displacement, and identity, often reflecting the shared sense of lost identity and damaged memory among the residents on both sides of the border. Maddah’s art invites viewers to question and reflect on complex emotions and trauma, using visual documentation to process and reframe lived experiences. Her work remains a poignant commentary on the intersection of personal and collective histories, urging a deeper understanding of the human condition amidst political strife.

Full Biography

Hanging Gardens: Randa Maddah

Randa Maddah

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