MALAK MATTAR
Malak Mattar (b. 1999) began painting at the age of 13. She started showing and selling her work online and, three years later, remarkably had a sell-out solo exhibition at the Palestine Museum in Bristol, UK. Since then her work has been shown in almost 80 countries. In 2018, she won the highest scholarship in Gaza – second across her year group in Palestine as a whole – to study abroad, and she graduated with a BSc in political science from Istanbul Aydin University (2022). Malak has a large international following and she is also a writer and illustrator: her celebrated children’s book Sitti’s Bird: A Gaza Story (2022) is a best-seller pending its third edition in 2024 due to high demand. In October 2021, Malak’s work was the cover for GQ Middle East.
As a talented and promising individual, Malak has an exceptional Global Talent visa to the UK and now lives in London, where she had another solo exhibition earlier this year and is currently studying a two-year Masters of Fine Art (MFA) programme at Central Saint Martins.
As a Gaza native, who survived numerous military assaults in Gaza, Malak has been using this difficult and emotional time to go deep into her practice and is using her time at the residency to document the humanitarian losses unfolding. The importance of Malak’s work on the contemporary Arab art movement cannot be understated. For many, her work has become the leading voice of her generation and an instantly recognisable symbol.
Exhibition PDF is here
Malak Mattar
Last Breath
‘Last Breath’ is a solo exhibition by Palestinian artist Malak Mattar. The exhibition features the largest single canvas work Mattar has ever produced, titled ‘No Words’ (2024). The painting weaves stories of human experiences from within the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023. In contrast to Mattar's previously vibrant figures and compositions, this monumental work’s grey expressions and palette directly respond to the unfolding bloodshed. Overflowing from this painting, the exhibition includes additional works from her 8-week residency at An Effort, such as expressionist faces and depictions of human relationships with animals, characteristic of her practice. ‘Last Breath’ departs from Malak's previously hopeful paintings, reflecting her anguish for the Gaza Strip.
Malak Mattar (b. 1999) is a Palestinian visual artist whose paintings have become recognised worldwide. Her work has been exhibited in almost 80 countries, including at the Museu das Artes de Sintra. She has also written and illustrated Sitti's Bird: A Gaza Story, awaiting its third edition print.
An Effort is an art residency founded around narratives in central London, offering a space for Middle Eastern and North African artists to explore their thoughts, dialogues, and futures. Malak Mattar is the eleventh artist in residence at the residency. In addition to her Cromwell Place exhibition, Mattar has a month-long solo show, ‘CUTS’, part of the AWAN Festival. Featuring nearly 100 sketches, many serving as studies for ‘No Words’, ‘CUTS’ offers a compelling insight into Mattar's creative process during her residency.
Thank you to all our private patrons and sponsors who made this exhibition possible.
Curated by Cristina O’Hanlon
Produced by An Effort Art
Photographs by Phoebe Wingrove
Malak Mattar at An Effort Art
