nada baraka
Born in 1990, Nada Baraka is a visual artist with a BA in Communication Media Art and Fine Arts from the American University in Cairo and a master’s degree in Fine Arts from Central Saint Martins, London. Her work has been shown in several group exhibitions in London, Paris and Lisbon, and she has been featured online in Louisiana, USA (Artebella). In 2015, she won first prize in Mohamad Abla's painting competition. Her work has been featured in Cairo in Gypsum gallery, Mashrabia Gallery, Darb 1718, Opera annual Youth Salon and Medrar. Baraka lives and works in Cairo.
Baraka makes paintings that maintain an endless, active state of flux, swaying between abstract and surreal with her evocative application and vivid colors. Baraka seeks to generate forms in new contexts as a means to challenge and deconstruct the obvious and tease meaning out of absurdity. Fluctuations of emotions triggered by various experiences build up to a narrative that eludes interpretation. The core of her work is this process that seeks to narrate an experience through expressionist brushwork and surrealist methodology. A central aspect in those narratives is the concept of eruption, appearing as distorted forms, body parts, colors or layers, all bathed in a fluidity punctuated with striking detail.
FEATURED WORKS
Nada Baraka
Quadrupeled since 1990, 2019
South South Feature
Dream-like figures and distorted structures morph into one another in the work of young artist Nada Baraka, inviting the viewer to open up the parameters of what the imagination allows.
SELECT PRESS
Nada Baraka
Withstanding the vagaries, 2019
Artist CV
2023 | Valley of Walls, APEX exhibition, Cairo, Egypt
Solo Exhibitions:
2021 | Land of Sequels, Gypsum gallery, Cairo, Egypt
2019 | Cosmic Truths and Tales to be Told, Gypsum gallery, Cairo, Egypt
2015 | Fractals, Mashrabia gallery, Cairo, Egypt
Group Exhibitions:
2022 | Fission, Duo exhibition at Goethe Institute, Cairo, Egypt
2021 | Technocrate, Art. D'Egypte, Cairo, Egypt
2019 | Tea Time with my lungs, Soma Art Gallery, Cairo, Egypt
2017 | Paper Trail, Gypsum gallery, Cairo, Egypt
2017 | Cairo Art fair, Artsmart, Cairo, Egypt
2016 | A season in Hell, Gypsum, Cairo, Egypt
2016 | Les Negligences volontaires, Shanaynay, Paris, France
2016 | Mohamed Abla’s Painting Exhibition, Greek Campus, Cairo, Egypt
2015 | Roznama, Contemporary Image collective, Cairo, Egypt
2015 | Art Fair, Arts-mart,Cairo. 2015- Naema’s office is bleeding, Medrar, Cairo, Egypt
2014 | Opera youth salon 25th, Opera House, Cairo, Egypt
2014 | Roznama, Medrar, Cairo, Egypt
2014 | Mostra, Lisbon, Portugal
2014 | Stop it, Postgraduate Degree show, Lethaby, London, UK
2013 | CSM Auction Exhibition, Lethaby, London, UK
2014 | Mohamed Abla painting competition, Opera House, Cairo, Egypt
2013 | First come first served, Lion Lamb, London, UK
2013 | Intransit, V22, London, UK
2012 | FA VIP, ARTFAIR, New York, USA
2012 | Parallel Visions, Darb 1718, Cairo, Egypt
2012 | 470 Parallel, Sharjah, Cairo, Egypt
2011 | Annual Youth Salon, Opera house, Cairo, Egypt
Biennales:
2016 | Something Else, off biennale at Darb 1718, Cairo, Egypt
Art Fairs:
2023 | Cairo Art fair, Le Lab in collaboration with Gypsum gallery, Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt
Residencies:
2017 | Do-it بالعربي ”Dwell Workshop with architect Ahmed Zazaa at Townhouse Factory, Cairo, Egypt
Awards:
2023 | ANNA Award Winner, Latitudes Online
2015 | 1st place at Mohamed Alba’s annual painting exhibition, Cairo, Egypt
Grants:
2023 | Exhibition production grant from APEX New York
Further Reading In Articles
African Artist Directory