Arwa Abouon

Arwa Abouon (1982–2020) was a Libyan-Canadian photographer.

Arwa Abouon
Born1982 (age 40–41)
Tripoli, Libya
NationalityCanadian
EducationBachelors of Fine Arts
Alma materConcordia University
Known forPhotographer
Websitearwaabouon.com

Biography

Abouon was born in Tripoli, Libya in 1982 and is of Amazigh descent.[1] She immigrated to Canada with her family in 1983 in response to recruitment of young men by the Muammar Gaddafi regime. Her father, Mustafa Muhammad Abouon (1940–2013), feared for the safety of his sons.[2]

Abouon studied at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, where she majored in design art and obtained a bachelor of fine arts, with distinction, in 2007.[3][4] Her work draws heavily on her experience as an Islamic woman living in the West and it often incorporates traditional Islamic customs, clothing and icons alongside symbols of Western cultural.[3][5] She explains that the goal of her work "is to sculpt a finer appreciation of the Islamic culture by shifting the focus from political issues to a poetic celebration of the faith's foundations."[6]

Abouon's work has been displayed internationally at galleries in Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia, and Middle East.[2] Her diptych Mirror Mirror, Allah Allah won second prize at the 26th annual Alexandra Biennale for Mediterranean Countries Award in 2014.[2][7] Art critic Valerie Behiery noted that the piece, which shows reflections of Abouon dressed in a veil and without, provides commentary with "deliberate visual simplicity and humour".[8] She died in Montreal on June 9, 2020.[9][10]

Major exhibitions
  • 2012 - Learning by Heart - The Third Line Gallery, Dubai[2][11]
  • 2014 - Honolulu - Sultan Gallery, Kuwait[12]
  • 2015 - Birthmark Theory - London Print Studio, London, UK[13][8]
  • 2017 - Sanctuary - FOR-SITE Foundation, Fort Mason Chapel, San Francisco, California https://www.for-site.org/project/sanctuary/
  • 2018 - Connections: Our Artistic Diversity Dialogues with Our Collections, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts[14]

References
  1. El-Zobaidi, Dunia (23 October 2015). "The Birthmark Theory of Canadian-Libyan artist Arwa Abouon". www.thearabweekly.com/. The Arab Weekly. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  2. Al-Ageli, Nahla (9 January 2015). "Libyan-Canadian Artist Arwa Abouon Contemplates Life After Death, Angels & Paradise, in Loving Memory of Her Father". Muftah. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  3. "'Learning by Heart' by Libyan-Canadian artist Arwa Abouon". Islamic Arts Magazine. 24 November 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  4. Abouon, Arwa. "C.V." Arwa Abouon. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  5. Behiery, Valerie (2012). "Imaging Islam in the Art of Arwa Abouon". Journal of Canadian Art History. 33 (2): 129–147. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 March 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  6. Chunara, Nazish (August 2016). "Arwa Abouon". Venison. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  7. "Visual artist Arwa Abouon tackles subjects of identity, gender, humanity and spirituality". al.arte.magazine. 27 October 2015. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  8. Behiery, Valerie (November 2012). "Arwa Abouon: Learning by Heart". Nafas Art Magazine. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  9. "'Libya has lost one of its great artists': Tributes are paid to photographer Arwa Abouon who died aged 38". The National. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  10. "Decease of artist Arwa Abouon". Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. June 11, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-06-13.
  11. "Arwa Abouon - Learning By Heart". www.thethirdline.com. The Third Line Art Gallery. Archived from the original on 2 March 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  12. "Honolulu by Arwa Abouon". artkuwait.org. Sultan Gallery. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  13. "Nour Festival - Arwa Abouon - London Print Studio". www.londonprintstudio.org.uk. London Print Studio. 22 September 2015. Archived from the original on 2 March 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  14. Stein, Katharine (October 10, 2018). "Building new narratives at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts". www.concordia.ca. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
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