Dana Awartani

Last updated
Dana Awartani
Born1987
Website https://danaawartani.com/

Dana Awartani (born 1987) is a Saudi visual artist, of Palestinian ethnicity. [1] [2] She works in various mediums including painting, video art, and sand mosaic; and incorporates traditional methods of Islamic art. Awartani was born and raised in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia where she lives today.

Contents

Education

Awartani graduated with a bachelor's degree in fine art from Central Saint Martins, London. [3] She then received a master's degree in traditional arts from The Prince's School, London. [4] At The Prince’s School she learned how to work in stained glass, miniature painting, and gilding; various traditional techniques from cultures all over the world. However, she couldn’t gain a degree in the traditional illumination of texts there, so she found an instructor in Turkey to help her to master this discipline. [5]

Work

Awartani employs a variety of media in her work, including painting, video and sand mosaics. [6] Her work is unique in that it seeks to incorporate the traditional methods of Islamic art into a contemporary world. [7] Rich in geometric patterning and the most intricate of details, Dana’s work often integrates the patterning styles of Islamic art. [8] [9] Specialising in geometry as well as illumination, tile-work and parquetry, Awartani's work explores the relationship between geometry and nature, as well as how truths can be translated through art using geometric principles, visualising a sacred language through a symbolic and multi-layered aesthetic. [10] [11] Her method that emerged over 1,000 years ago as a substitute for the forbidden depiction of divine figures. It is still being practiced, although less and less, today, by specialists such as Dana. [5]

On Arabs and art Dana said: ″As Arabs we’re raised around this fine art, we’re surrounded by it in every corner but we’re not aware of it. You can see geometry all around you like in mosques for example. I was looking for a track to follow and looking deep down inside I felt a yearning for it until I’ve discovered it. There is an inner and outer beauty behind it telling a story behind every structured piece, there is no randomness when it comes to creating such pieces.″ [12] On the Islamic art, she said: ″Islamic Art is firstly not made for the sake of making art. It is a sacred spiritual practice that is used as a way to worship God and for God. It teaches one sabr (patience) and respect and as an Islamic artist, my work is a form of prayer and dhikr (remembrance). I need to be 100% focused and in a good mood to be able to do it, otherwise it doesn’t work." [13]

Awartani was included in the Rhizoma project of the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013. [14] Her work is in the collection of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C. [15] and the British Museum, London. [4]

Related Research Articles

Hend Al Mansour is a Saudi-American visual artist and physician. Her printed silkscreens, installation art and portraits of Muslim women explore the religious and social belief systems of Arab communities. She earned degrees in cardiology and internal medicine, practicing medicine for 20 years. She immigrated to the United States in 1997 after receiving a fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. She then pursued an art career, attending the Women's Art Institute at St. Catherine University and earning her MFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design where she was mentored by Aribert Munzner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sama Alshaibi</span> Iraqi-born American artist

Sama Raena Alshaibi also known as Sama Alshaibi is a conceptual artist, who deals with spaces of conflict as her primary subject. War, exile, power and the quest for survival are themes seen in her works. She often uses her own body in her artwork as a representation of the country or an issue she is dealing with.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wahbi al-Hariri</span> Syrian-American artist, architect, archaeologist, and author

Wahbi al-Hariri-Rifai was a Syrian American artist. He was also an accomplished architect, archaeologist, and author. His artwork has garnered international recognition and praise both in his lifetime and posthumously.

Saudi Arabian art is contextual to the country being the birthplace of Islam; it includes both the arts of Bedouin nomads and those of the sedentary peoples of regions such as the Hejaz, Tihamah, Asir and Najd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmed Mater</span> Saudi artist and physician (born 1979)

Ahmed Mater is a Saudi artist and physician. His mediums are photography, calligraphy, painting, installation, performance and video. His work, which explores history, the narratives and aesthetics of Islamic culture, and addresses consumerism and transformation taking place in the region and its effects on geopolitics, has attracted an international audience. In 2003, he cofounded "Edge of Arabia", an independent arts initiative dedicated to promoting the appreciation of contemporary Arab art and culture, with a focus on Saudi Arabia.

Huguette Caland was a Lebanese painter, sculptor and fashion designer known for her erotic abstract paintings and body landscapes. Based out of Los Angeles, her art was displayed in numerous exhibitions and museums around the world.

Wasma'a Khalid Chorbachi is an American-Iraqi artist.

Abdulnasser Gharem is a Saudi Arabian artist and also a lieutenant colonel in the Saudi Arabian army. In April 2011, his installation Message/Messenger sold for a world record price at auction in Dubai.

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian was an Iranian artist and a collector of traditional folk art. She is noted for having been one of the most prominent Iranian artists of the contemporary period, and she was the first artist to achieve an artistic practice that weds the geometric patterns and cut-glass mosaic techniques (Āina-kāri) of her Iranian heritage with the rhythms of modern Western geometric abstraction. In 2017, the Monir Museum in Tehran, Iran was opened in her honor.

Lalla Assia Essaydi is a Moroccan photographer known for her staged photographs of Arab women in contemporary art. She currently works in Boston, Massachusetts, and Morocco. Her current residence is in New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kimsooja</span> South Korean conceptual artist

Kimsooja was born in Daegu, South Korea. Kimsooja is a multi-disciplinary conceptual artist who travels between her three homes and places of work in New York City, Paris, and Seoul. In 1980 Kim graduated with a B.F.A in Painting from Hong-Ik University, Seoul and continued to pursue her M.F.A there, obtaining the degree in 1984 at the age of 27. Her origin as a painter was a crucial starting point for the development of her art. That same year, she received a scholarship to study art at Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France, where she studied Printmaking. Her first solo exhibition was held in 1988 at Gallery Hyundai, Seoul. Currently, her work is featured in countless international museums and galleries as well as public art fairs and other spaces. Her practice combines performance, film, photo, and site-specific installation using textile, light, and sound. Kimsooja's work investigates questions concerning the conditions of humanity, while engaging issues of aesthetics, culture, politics, and the environment. Her principle of ‘non-doing’ and ‘non-making,’ which follows a conceptual and structural investigation of performance through modes of mobility and immobility, inverts the notion of the artist as the predominant actor.

Zarouhie Abdalian is an American artist of Armenian descent, known for site-specific sculptures and installations.

Safeya Binzagr is a Saudi Arabian artist. She is a supporter of the art scene in Jeddah. Binzagr opened her own museum and gallery, the Darat Safeya Binzagr in 2000. She is the only artist in her country to have their own museum.

Huda Ahmad Totonji is an American artist who was born and raised in Saudi Arabia. Totonji is also a master calligrapher and is certified to teach Arabic Calligraphy. In addition to her calligraphic work, she also creates mixed media art, installations and performance art. Totonji is the president of Huda Art, LLC, which creates custom art for clients. Totonji is also the first person from Saudi Arabia to lecture at Harvard University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Mohanna Al Abdali</span> Saudi Arabian artist

Sarah Mohanna Al Abdali is a Saudi Arabian artist, who is considered one of the country's first street artists. Her work combines Saudi and Arab cultural motifs and aims to provoke debate.

Jill Mulleady is an artist. She was born in Montevideo, Uruguay and grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She moved to London to study at Chelsea School of Art, in 2007–09, where she received a Master of Fine Arts. She lives and work in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manal Al Dowayan</span> Saudi Arabian contemporary artist

Manal Al Dowayan is a Saudi Arabian contemporary artist, best known for her installation piece Suspended Together from the Home Ground Exhibition at the Barjeel Art Foundation in 2011. She has shown work in a number of shows including the 2012 Soft Power show at Alan Art Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the 2013 Journey of Belonging, a solo show at Athr Gallery in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the 2017 100 Masterpieces of Modern and Contemporary Arab Art in Paris, France, as well as having her work exhibited in the 2014 USA Biennial in Houston, the 2015 P.3: Prospect New Orleans USA Biennial Notes For Now, and the Venice Biennale in the Future of a Promise Exhibition. Her work spans many mediums from photography to installation and focuses on a progressive examination and critique women's roles in Saudi society.

Zahrah Al Ghamdi is a Saudi Arabian visual and land artist, as well as an assistant professor at the College of Art and Design at the University of Jeddah.

Shadia Alem or Shādiyah 'Ālim or in Arabic: شادية عالم is a Saudi Arabian visual artist.

Basmah Felemban is a Saudi Arabian, self-taught graphic designer. She has an interest in symbolism and Islamic metaphysics.

References

  1. ↑ Nihal, Mariam (2 March 2018). "Dana Awartani turned history into mesmerizing works of art".
  2. ↑ "Saudi-Palestine artist's creative genius wows KMB".
  3. ↑ "How the Saudi art scene is determined to keep up with the changes of its country". 14 February 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Collections Online". British Museum. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Towards A Sublime Art". Harper's Bazaar Arabia. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  6. ↑ "Beyond the veil: Saudi women making their presence". Financial Times. 24 February 2017.
  7. ↑ "Dana Awartani and the universal language of sacred geometry". CNN . 15 December 2016.
  8. ↑ Post, The Jakarta. "Jakarta Biennale: A new understanding of contemporary Indonesian art".
  9. ↑ "How Saudi artists are capturing the spirit of a kingdom in the process of radical reform". Independent.co.uk . 10 March 2018.
  10. ↑ "Dana Awartani". Edge of Arabia. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  11. ↑ "Exhibition 1". The Brooklyn Rail. June 2017.
  12. ↑ RAWAN, RADWAN (25 March 2014). "Dana Awartani: Decoding Islamic art". Arab news. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  13. ↑ "Dana Awartani: Transforming Faith Into Sacred Islamic Art". nahlaink.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  14. ↑ "Rhizoma: 55th Venice Biennale". Dalloul Art Foundation. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  15. ↑ "Hirshhorn Announces 30 New Works Entering the Museum's Collection". Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Smithsonian. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.