Nidaa Badwan (born 17 April 1987) is a Palestinian artist who was born in the United Arab Emirates. She moved to Gaza when she was in sixth grade, and spent a year working in Amman after completing her fine arts degree at a Palestinian university.[1]
Career
editBadwan is an artist known for her work 100 Days of Solitude, for which she spent an extended period of time creating a beautiful space in her room where she could isolate herself and escape from reality of Gaza. She says living in a city where she "lost basic rights as a human being" inspired her to "create an alternative world" in her room.[2] This project is composed of 25 photographic self-portraits taken in that room since 13 November 2013 that portray her during her twenty months of self-imposed exile, started after she was abused by members of Hamas in Gaza.[1]
She is a graduate of the Fine Arts School of Gaza's Al Aqsa University.[2] Her story, reported in an interview with the New York Times,[1] has made her known internationally, cited by many other newspapers, magazines and television from all over the world (such as ZDF,[3] France24[4] and Sky Arte[5]). After the years of Palestine, she moved to the Republic of San Marino,[6] where she also worked as a university professor at the University of Design of the Republic of San Marino.[7] Now, the artist lives in Italy.
Her exhibitions have toured and are touring the world: after the first in Jerusalem, numerous exhibitions in Italy, San Marino, Denmark, Germany, US, Spain, United Arab Emirates. In 2016, she was selected for The 2016 Sovereign Middle East & North Africa Art Prize Finalists, a prize for the 30 best artists in the Arab world.[8] In 2017, she was a speaker at the UNESCO conference held in Carthage (Tunisia).[9] Also in 2017, the municipality of Monte Grimano Terme, Italy, granted Nidaa with a space for herself right in the historical center of this little town, which is inserted in the club "Most Beautiful Villages in Italy". This place will be her "new room".[10] The inauguration took place in the presence of numerous authorities, including the Consul of Palestine in Italy.[11]
Notes
edit- ^ a b c "A Gaza Artist Creates 100 Square Feet of Beauty, and She's Not Budging". The New York Times. 27 February 2015. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Finding creativity under siege: Gazan artist isolates herself". 24 January 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
- ^ nidaa badwan (6 June 2015), 100 Tage Einsamkeit aspekte ZDFmediathek ZDF Mediathek, retrieved 2 May 2018
- ^ "La photographe palestinienne Nidaa Badwan s'enferme pour ne plus voir Gaza – France 24". France 24 (in French). 10 May 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ "Autoritratti di un'artista a Gaza – Sky Arte – Sky". Sky Arte – Sky (in Italian). 23 September 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ "Nidaa Badwan a San Marino: "Libera con la mia arte, in 10 metri quadri"". SMTV San Marino (in Italian). 25 September 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ "Università: le comunità al centro della Design Week". SMTV San Marino (in Italian). 11 July 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ "The 2016 Sovereign Middle East & North Africa Art Prize Finalists Released – Sovereign Art Foundation". Sovereign Art Foundation. 26 September 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ "Regional conference on "Cultural heritage and identity: an arab youth perspective"". UNESCO. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ "Nidaa Badwan apre 'Room' a Monte Grimano – Marche". ANSA.it (in Italian). 17 May 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ Provincia di Pesaro e Urbino [Canale Youtube] (23 May 2017), Montegrimano borgo delle libere arti [Servizio TGR Marche Rai3], retrieved 2 May 2018