Hanging Gardens: Randa Maddah

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.