Dana Awartani engages in critical and contemporary reinterpretations of the forms, techniques, concepts, and spatial constructs that shape Middle Eastern culture. Steeped in a multitude of historical references, particularly drawn from Islamic and Arab art-making traditions, Awartani’s practice straddles continuity and innovation, aesthetic experimentation, and social relevance.
Spanning painting, sculpture, performance, and installation, her commitment to historically situated and locally sourced materials addresses the complexities of continuity of cultural heritage, craft, and artisanship – including sites and practices across the Arab world that are under threat. Consistent throughout her work is a philosophical elaboration of geometric patterns as an alternative genealogy of abstraction.
Dana Awartani was born, lives, and works in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and is of Saudi and Palestinian descent. She holds a BA in fine art from Central Saint Martins, London, and an MA in traditional arts from The King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts, London.