Biography
Ahmad Mallah (He/ They) 1990
Ahmad Mallah is a Palestinian artist born and raised in Syria. He holds a bachelor degree in Fine Arts from the St. Joost Academy in Breda and currently lives and works in Amsterdam. His art revolves around themes of war, diaspora, identity, gender, and the body. Mallah uses various art forms to document his personal and political experiences.
Mallah's work has travelled among plenty of groups and solo art exhibitions at the Chasse Theater in Breda, ALL INN in Het Hem in Zaandam, Landhuis Ooud Amelisweerd Museum, Art Nordic International Fair in Copenhagen, Unfair 2023, Prospects- Art Rotterdam 2024, Art Antwerp 2024 and others. Exbunker solo exhibition in Utrecht 2021, De Ploegh Solo exhibition in Amersfoort 2023, No Limits Art Castle Solo exhibition in Amsterdam 2023 and Madé van Krimpen art gallery Solo exhibition in Amsterdam 2024.
Ahmad's ongoing duo perfromative collaboration with his partner Rebecca Lillich // Krüger has been shown at Prospects-Mondrian Fonds at Art Rotterdam , Oeroel festival in Terschilling , Schunck Museum in Heerlen, Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and Kunstlinie in Almere to name a selection.
The artist received the Mondrian fond stipendium for Emerging Artists in 2022 among other government and private funding like Amsterdam Fonds voor de Kunst, Municipality of Amersfoort, Amarte Fonds and Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds.
Mallah was nominated twice for the Galatea Art Prize, his paintings from the series "A New Era" were selected for the second round of The Royal Art Prize for Modern Painting 2024 and he won the Public Prize- Painting Category- Business art award 2024.
Artist Statement
...The walls have ears Ahmad...', my mother used to say. In Syria
parents tell this often to their children.
It is a phrase that all children have been raised with.
'The walls have ears', or, don't speak up about politics or
freedoms you have a right to as a human being.
Freedom of speech is a taboo in Syria. So, I was silent.
I've always felt trapped between these 'listening walls' and I
have even been imprisoned between 4 walls during the
revolution in Syria.
My past is the inspiration behind my work. I've started
capturing my stories in art and language, in order to share them
with people.
After being brought up with the concept that 'even the walls
have ears'; it was a difficult but incredible journey to choose
and express myself to the extreme. In art.
By painting and portraying I observed my fears. My sorrow. My
frustrations. Creating art helped me to heal my soul and mind.
I am the maker and I am the artwork. And even though the
walls have ears, I am silent no more.