Dana Awartani uses tile-making and textiles to tell stories of cultural loss in the Middle East. We spoke to her about her exhibition ‘Standing by the Ruins’. By Farah Abdessamad.
In her latest show, Palestinian-Saudi visual artist Dana Awartani explores the weight of cultural destruction across the Middle East as both a physical and emotional loss.
This grief, alongside an urgent attention to preserving narratives, is conveyed through large-scale installations inspired by traditional Middle Eastern and Islamic art and culture — such as tile-making, illumination of texts, textile darning, sacred geometry, and the use of clay and sand.
Speaking to The New Arab about her exhibition at Arnolfini in Bristol, UK, Dana shares insights into her work, its cultural roots, and the collaborative processes behind it.
image: Dana Awartani Standing by the ruins, Arnolfini, Bristol. Lisa Whiting Photography for Arnolfini. All rights reserved.
About the Artist
Dana Awartani
Dana Awartani engages in critical and contemporary reinterpretations of the forms, techniques, concepts and spatial constructs that shape Middle Eastern culture.
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