Untitled

This artwork by the Palestinian artist Abdul Rahman Katanani has been created using his preferred recycled materials, while also serving as a reminder that he was first known as a caricaturist. The subject is a young girl, elevated in mid jump or flight, seemingly being lifted away by what we interpret as a balloon in a brilliantly vibrant shade of red. The underlying theme – a bid for freedom or the dream of breaking free - is a popular one for the artist, who was born in 1982 in the Sabra refugee camp in the western suburbs of Beirut during the Lebanese civil war.

Katanani is influenced on many levels from his time in the camp. The sense of feeling confined, oppressed and stateless permeates his work, as does the poverty that was around him. Hopelessness is a recurring theme – however, this is balanced with a sense of hopefulness. Katanani is also drawn to materials that were part of everyday life in Sabra, such as corrugated iron, barbed wire, discarded items and debris, as is evidenced in the work for sale.
He has a Master’s in Fine Arts from the Lebanese University and was the recipient of the Sursock’s Prize for Young Artists in 2009. He has held several solo shows in the region and Europe, while participating in a significant number of collectives.