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Artistic Biography

Nidaa Badwan is a palestinian artist, born in the United Arab Emirates.

She graduated in Interior Design, in Television Direction and in Fine Arts at the Al-Aqsa University of Gaza. She has always been involved in art and events, as well as working in healing workshops for children with the UN and UNRWA, in the Gaza Strip.

Nidaa's first exhibition is already in 2009, when he exhibits paintings in the rubble of the Gaza theater, inside the Red Crescent building, just destroyed by white phosphorus bombs.

Many reporters noticed these paintings inside the palace and the exhibition was very successful.

 

In 2012 and 2013 Nidaa begins to express herself with photography, and exhibits some of the new photographic works in Amman, Jordan.

 

She became known to the international public with her artistic and peaceful protest of the "100 Days of Solitude" project, composed of photographic self-portraits that from 13 November 2013 portray her for 20 months in her room, during self-imposed exile, as a protest for the violence and threats received by the Hamas militia, who arrested and beat her for not wearing a veil and for being in a public place with men,

while they were organizing cultural events.

A personal protest, to save herself, but above all her essence. At the same time a protest that also shows the condition, especially of women, of those territories.

 

Her story, reported in an interview on the front page of the New York Times newspaper, has made her known internationally, cited by many other newspapers and televisions all over the world.

In September 2015 she received the "Armonia tra i Popoli" award (Montecatini Terme, Italy) and "Borgo delle Libere Arti” award (Monte Grimano Terme, Italy).

 

At the end of 2015 she moved to the Republic of San Marino, where she also worked as a university professor at the University of Design of the Republic of San Marino with workshops dedicated to photography, imagination and creativity.

From September 2016 the artist moved to Italy.

 

In 2016 she received "The 2016 Sovereign Middle East & North Africa Art Prize", a prize that goes to the 30 best artists of the Arab world, with awards and shows in Dubai.

In March 2017 she was a speaker at the UNESCO conference "Cultural heritage and identity: an arab youth perspective", held in Carthage (Tunisia).

In October 2018 she participates as a speaker at TEDx OF SAN MARINO CITY.

 

In January 2019 she published a new work entitled "PARADISO". A photo-painting, in her unmistakable style, which will be in a single copy, just like a painting.

 

In 2019 her name became part of the Walk of Fame in Montecatini Terme (Tuscany), with a stud on the sidewalk dedicated to her.

 

In 14 september 2021, on the day of the 700th anniversary of the death of the great poet Dante Alighieri, she publish her new work "THE GAME", inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy mixed with whe "Commedia dell'Arte", a theatrical journey undertaken by Nidaa in the last year with classical Italian masks.

In May 2022 Nidaa held workshops at the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples, involving the students of the courses of Painting, Decoration, Fashion Design, Photography, Scenography.

In May 2022 she made her debut as a cinema actress in the film "Portrait of a woman in a landscape" by Andrea Laquidara.

In November 2022 for the "Day against Violence against Women", Nidaa exhibits in Ancona (Italy).

​2023 opens with numerous exhibitions in Europe and the USA. In fact, Nidaa exhibits at the Museum for Art in Wood, in Philadelphia, for a project commissioned from her by the museum, on the theme of Mashrabiya. Nidaa thus creates two new works, entitled "LOVE BEHIND THE MASHRABIYA", for which she also creates the wooden structure of an "Italianized" Mashrabiya which will serve as a background for her works, in addition to the shot photographic.

She has also exhibited in Ravenna, Imola and Apecchio (Italy). Furthermore, she is selected among the 10 finalists at the Danysz Prize, in Paris, with an exhibition in the prestigious gallery held in May 2023.

Her works have been exhibited all over the world, especially in Europe and the United States.

 

 

Exhibitions

  • "100 Days of Solitude" [solo]

    Jerusalem and West Bank (Palestine) - January/Juin 2015

  • "100 Days of Solitude" [solo]

    Mo.Ca. Museum, Montecatini Terme (Italy) - September 2015/March 2016

  • "100 Days of Solitude" [solo]

    Old City Tower, Monte Grimano Terme (Italy) - September 2015/October 2015

  • "100 Days of Solitude" [solo]

    Graziani Palace, San Marino (San Marino) - November 2015/January 2016

  • "When the things fall apart" [collective]

    Trapholt Museum, Kolding (Denmark) - February 2016/October 2016

  • "What Achilles murmurs to tortoise" [collective]

    SAVVY Contemporary, Berlin (Germany) - March 201/May 2016

  • "Festival International du Journalism Vivant" [collective]

    Les Ateliers de Couthures, Couthures sur Garonne (France) - 29/31 July 2016

  • "SoundArt" [solo]

    Titano Theater, San Marino (San Marino) - 30 September 2016

  • "100 Days of Solitude" [solo]

    Postmaster Gallery, New York (U.S.A.) - September 2016/October 2016

  • "The Sovereign Mille East and North Africa Art Prize Finalists Exhibition" [collective]

    Armani Hotel, Dubai (U.A.E.) - 13/17 October 2016

  • "Luci della Città" [solo]

    Graziani Palace, San Marino (San Marino) - November 2016/January 2017

  • "Untitled" [collective]

    Untitled Fair, Miami Beach (U.S.A.) - November 2016/December 2016

  • "100 Days of Solitude" [solo]

    Caffè Letterario, Ravenna (Italy) - January 2017/February 2017 

  • "100 Days of Solitude" [solo]

    Villa Bertelli, Forte dei Marmi (Italy) - March 2017/April 2017

  • "Seeing Now" [collective]

    21C Museum Hotel, Bentonville (U.S.A.) - February 2017/December 2017

  • "Ri Creazioni" [collective]

    Ex Lanificio Lucchesi, Prato (Italy) - Juin 2017/July 2017

  • "En Rebeldìa" [collective]

    IVAM, Valencia (Spain) - September 2017/January 2018

  • "100 Days of Solitude" [collective]

    Orto Botanico "P.Castelli", Messina (Italy) - 7/9 October 2017

  • "Sguardi DiVersi" [collective]

    Mo.C.A. Museum, Montecatini Terme (Italy) - October 2017/February 2018

  • "3rd Berliner Herbstsalon" [collective]

    Maxim Gorki Theatre, Berlin (Germany) - 11-26 November 2017

  • "100 Days of Solitude" [solo]

    Palazzo Patrizi, Siena (Italy) - January/February 2018

  • "Dialoghi sulla Sofferenza" [collective]

    Spazi Data, Urbino (Italy) - 02/25 April 2018

  • "Declaration" [collective]

    Institute Contemporary Art, Richmond - Virginia (U.S.A.) - April/September 2018

  • "Festival della Lentezza -100 Days of Solitude" [solo]

    Reggia di Colorno, Colorno - Parma (Italy) - 15/17 Juin 2018

  • "Fiesta Globàl - 100 Days of Solitude" [solo]

    Old Tower, Montefabbri (Italy) - 20/22 July 2018

  • "Donne nel Limite" [collective]

    Museo San Francesco, San Marino (San Marino) - October 2018/March 2019

  • "Furies, Fairies, Visionaries" [collecrive]

    Pen&Brush Gallery, New York (U.S.A.) - January/March 2019

  • "Mo.C.A. the Best" [collective]

    Mo.C.A. Museum, Montecatini Terme (Italy) - January/March 2019

  • "Les Before du Quai Branly - 100 Days of Solitude" [solo]

    Musée du quai Branly, Paris (France) - March 2019

  •  "Exile - The Land of Non-Belonging" [collective]

    California Museum of Photography, Riverside - California (U.S.A) - May/Sept 2019

  • "100 Days of Solitude" [solo]

    Abate Road 66, Modena (Italy), November 2019

  • "100 Days of Solitude" [solo]

    Pinacoteca Civica Crivelli, Sant'Elpidio a Mare (Italy), November 2021

  • "DASEIN - Esserci"  [collective]
    Museo di Arte Contemporanea, Pietrarubbia (Italy) - May/June 2022

  • "The Game - 100 Days of Solitude"

    Napoli (Italy) - May/June 2022 [collective]

  • "Sconfiggere il Dolore con la Bellezza"
    Museo della Città - Spazio Presente, Ancona (Italy) - November 2022 [solo]

  • "The Mashrabiya Project" [collective]
    Museum for Art in Wood, Philadelphia (USA) - Jannuary/July 2023

  • "100 Days of Solitude" [solo]
    Spazio PR2, Ravenna (Italy) - March/April 2023 

  • "L'Arte che Serve per Guarire" [solo]
    Palazzo Ubaldini, Apecchio - PU (Italy) - April 2023

  • "Prix DANYSZ pour la création contemporaine" [collective - Finalist]
    Danysz Gallery, Paris (France) - May/June 2023

  • "100 Days of Solitude" [solo]
    Salannunziata, Imola (Italy) - June 2023

Conferences

  • "100 Days of Solitude" 

    Municipio, Monte Grimano Terme (Italy), September 2015

  • "Raccontando Maria Grazia Cutuli - Corriere della Sera"

    Sala Buzzati, Milano (Italy) - November 2016

  • "Cultural heritage and identity: an arab youth perspective"

    Carthage (Tunisia), March 2017

  • "100 Days of Solitude"

    Aula Magna del Giardino Botanico, Messina (Italy), October 2017

  • "Nidaa Badwan: il Caravaggio della fotografia"

    Chiostro dei Frati, Cortemaggiore - Piacenza (Italy), November 2017

  • "Nidaa Badwan e i 100 Giorni di Solitudine"

    Lions Club, Longiano - FC (Italy), December 2017

  • "UNLIMITED - TEDx Città di San Marino"

    Kursaal Palace, San Marino (San Marino), October 2018

  • "Conviviale con Nidaa Badwan"

    Rotary Club, Novafeltria - RN (Italy), March 2019

  • "E tu splendi, invece..."

    Teatro Cicconi, Sant'Elpidio a Mare (Italy), November 2021

  • "Nidaa Badwan: la Luce nell'Ombra"
    Rotary Club, Novafeltria - RN (Italy), October 2022

  • "Presentation of the book "Diagonale di Luce"
    Chiostro di San Galgano, Siena (Italy), March 2023

  • "Caffé Letterario - "Presentation of the book "Diagonale di Luce"
    Borgo Caffé, Longiano - RN (Italy), March 2023

Awards

"Armonia tra i Popoli" Award / Montecatini Terme (Italy) - 2015

"Borgo delle Libere Arti" Award / Monte Grimano Terme (Italy) - 2015

"The 2016 Sovereign Middle East & North Africa Art Prize" Award / Dubai (UAE) - 2016

Contact

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