About

Biography

 

Ahmad Mallah (He/ They) 1990

 

Starting from his own skin and going through different technics, he immersed himself in a long journey in search of his identity as a Palestinian artist who was born and raised in Syria before the war once again forced him to flee on another asylum journey, until he arrived in the Netherlands in 2014. His art is an exploration of the body, war, diaspora, identity, gender and belonging. Through his interdisciplinary art practice, he represents his personal experiences as being stateless for a long time. Ahmad does not belong to a specific place and time; for him belonging is a dilemma of our existence, a state of emotional and intellectual flux between our human desires for safety and freedom. This flux formulates our contemporary identity and deeply influences our humane fate.

 

Mallah's work has travelled among plenty of groups and solo art exhibitions at the Chasse Theater in Breda, at Electron in Breda, SDL ART exhibition in De Kromhouthal in Amsterdam, ALL INN in Het Hem in Zaandam, Landhuis Ooud Amelisweerd Museum, Art Nordic International Fair in Copenhagen, Unfair 2023, Prospects- Art Rotterdam 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 partner Rebecca Lillich // Krüger has been shown at Prospects-Mondrian Fonds at Art Rotterdam , Oeroel festival in Terschilling , Schunck Museum in Heerlen and Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam to name a selection.

The artist received the Mondrian fond stipendium for Emerging Artists in 2022 among other government funding like Amsterdam Fonds voor de Kunst, Municipality of Amersfoort, Amsterdam fonds voor de kunst and Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds. 
Mallah was nominated twice for the Galatea Art Prize and his paintings from the series "A New Era" were selected for the second round of The Royal Art Prize for Modern Painting 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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