Dana Awartani

Palestinian-Saudi artist Dana Awartani (born 1987 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, lives and works between Jeddah and New York) engages in critical and contemporary reinterpretations of the forms, techniques, concepts, and spatial constructs. Steeped in a multitude of historical references, particularly drawn from Islamic and Arab art-making traditions.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.