Nardeen Srouji
Nardeen Srouji is a Palestinian multidisciplinary artist born in Nazareth, based in Haifa. Srouji, a graduate of the MFA Program of Fine Arts at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem (2017), holds a BA from Haifa University in English Literature and Fine Arts (2004), a diploma in Fashion Design from Wizo Collage, Haifa (2012), and a diploma from Oranim Collage, Tiv’on, for Art Studies and Education (2006).
Nardeen's artistic expression encompasses various mediums, navigating between sculpture and installation. She repurposes everyday objects, images, and sounds from her surroundings, transforming them into interventions that prompt viewers to reconsider their perceptions of the world. These interventions challenge norms by deviating from their typical functions, inviting introspection about their inherent existence. Her work primarily explores the spaces between stability and instability, placement and displacement, and familiarity and estrangement.
Material selection is pivotal in comprehending her art, addressing the social environment from a familiar standpoint. Metals, wood, glass, concrete, plastic, sound, light, readymade, food, space, place, and time, including the observer at times, all contribute to shaping her artworks. By creating a deliberate mismatch or an unconventional relationship between materials, she reflects the social, historical, and political context in which her work unfolds. This interplay between elements gives rise to an ambiguous metaphor, encouraging contemplation about ourselves and society, challenging established notions of place and time.
In her body of work, Srouji often occupies the exhibition space, manipulating its scale or incorporating its boundaries into her artistic narratives. Her recent explorations delve into the interplay of process and the complex dynamics of bodies across time and space in site-specific works.
