Works.
about.
Madlen Abboud, born in Shefa-Amr in 1999, holds a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from the University of Haifa, awarded in 2023. Her artistic approach encompasses various mediums, primarily sculpture, photography, and printmaking. In the initial stages of her work, Abboud typically begins by capturing specific scenes through photography and recording conversations with individuals. She compiles this information to construct a small archive, serving as a reference for her artistic endeavors.
Through her art, Abboud expresses ideas and theories, connecting them to reality and everyday life. Her work delves into social, political, and sexual norms and beliefs related to place, drawing inspiration from them to create pieces that incorporate elements of science fiction and philosophy. The goal is to present common concepts to the audience in an unconventional manner, sometimes attempting to disrupt traditional notions imposed on Arab women, particularly reflecting on social concepts, political and sexual issues, the contradictory phenomena in our society, and the narratives surrounding virginity and honor.
Abboud's graduation project featured an exhibition consisting of flat gypsum sculptures with small burnt sugar sculptures displayed on shelves along the walls. In the center of the room, a flat platform measuring 1.702.00 meters held a cube of burnt sugar, surrounded by six 4030*25 cm gypsum cubes mixed with 'Al-'Aqida' burnt sugar. The exhibition also included works of fine art printing using the "left sugar" technique and two short videos. The videos were displayed on TV screens, viewed from above (as in documentation), showing a hand and a leg on each of the two large screens, manipulating and dragging 'Al-'Aqida' in a disturbing manner. The sculptures underwent changes in shape and color, with some melting onto the floor and disappearing.
Abboud's work is deeply rooted in childhood memories and scenes imprinted in her memory, often preoccupied with her thoughts on rituals and customs performed by women around her and their connection to the place. The inspiration behind her work stems from her grandmother's profession of cooking sugar to make 'Al-'Aqida,' a sugary confection used for hair. Her grandmother would sell it to her neighbors, who treated it as a secret matter, concealing it and refraining from showing it in front of men.