Mazen Khaddaj (b. 1985) is a multidisciplinary Lebanese artist working in painting, performance, video art, and installation. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Design from the American University of Science and Technology in Beirut in 2008. His background includes working as an Art Director in multinational advertising companies for several years before eventually dedicating himself fully to the arts.

photo by Daniel Willis

Khaddaj started his artistic journey in the medium of painting. They exhibited their first solo show ‘Bonds’ at Art Circle (Beirut) in 2013. Eventually, Khaddaj would move into a more multidisciplinary approach, showcasing video performances in addition to paintings, such as their second solo show ‘The Middle State’ which was exhibited both at 392Rmeil393 Gallery (Gemmayze, Beirut) and at the University of Balamand Gallery (Lebanon) in 2015. These were followed by the exhibition ‘Emotion in Motion’ at Artspace Hamra (Beirut) in 2016 that featured ‘The Eye’, an installation project featuring five videos depicting the relationship between individuality and society. ‘The Eye’ is now part of the permanent collection of the Modern and Contemporary Art Museum (MACAM) in Alita, Byblos, Lebanon.

Khaddaj participated in an artist residency at the prestigious Pilotenkuche International Art Residency, in Leipzig, Germany, in 2015. This would lead him to eventually relocate to Germany in 2016, and this move would significantly impact his identity as an artist. He would also go on to enroll as a guest student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Leipzig, further adding to his education.

Khaddaj documented their struggle to ground themselves in a new country through their project ‘I am a Foreigner’, showcasing several paintings and two video installations, which was first exhibited at GAPGAP in Leipzig in 2017 and then at WerkStadt, Berlin in 2020. Khaddaj proceeded with more solo shows including ‘I End to Begin’ at 392Rmeil393 Gallery, Beirut, in 2019, and ‘The Laundry Room’ at the Museum Der Bildenden Künste, Leipzig, also in 2019. Both shows investigated deeply the artist’s feelings towards their identity and their experiences as an immigrant. Further exploring these issues that same year, their installation ‘Spot The Foreigner’ was part of Re-Orient Exhibition at the Grassi Museum, Leipzig. In January 2020, Khaddaj showcased ‘Lützner Street 7’, another solo show, at Albareh Art Gallery in Bahrain. In November 2020, Khaddaj participated in the Festival Kasseler Dokfest 37, Kassel, Germany, with a project titled ‘The Artists are Not Present’ which is a video installation. Shortly after, Khaddaj was awarded Honorable Mention for ‘The Artists are Not Present’ by the jury of the Golden Cube of the Kasseler Dokfest. Visible Thoughts was the title of their solo painting show that was exhibited at Kunst Kan gallery in Amsterdam in 2021. In the same year, Khaddaj showcased their multimedia solo exhibition 'Backbone' at Oyoun, Berlin as the opening show of the Soura Film Festival. The same exhibition was nominated for Berlin Art Prize in 2022. The show was exhibited at Blake and Vargas, Berlin.

Khaddaj has also participated in several collective shows, including in Lebanon, Bahrain, Turkey, the USA, and Germany.

Khaddaj’s paintings are a play between textures and color, transparency, and flatness. Their work manifests human thought and interaction through figuration, which appears abstracted and dissipating, intersecting yet secluded. Subsequent video performances and installations are extensions of the work on canvas; what is inherent to still surfaces translates into mutable forms.

Mazen Khaddaj is currently living in Berlin, Germany, where they are practicing their art. They still have strong ties to the Middle East and continue to engage in artistic activities there. Text by: Maie El-Hage, B.Arch, M.A. Art Historian and curator

 

Museums:

• Grassi Museum, Leipzig, Germany, Spot The Foreigner video installation | October 2019

• Museum der Bildenden Künste, Leipzig, Germany, The Laundry Room, solo show | July 2019

• MACAM Contemporary Art Museum, Lebanon, The Eye video Installation, part of their permanent collection

 Awards/ Festivals: 

  • Berlin Art Prize 22 nomination for my exhibition “Backbone” | September 2022

  • Honorable mention award for the Video Installation The Artists Are Not Present by the jury of The Golden Cube of Kassler Dokfest 37 | November 2021

  • This Is An Intervention, Pandemic Films, Berlin, Germany, Today Olives Tomorrow Olives Everyday Olives video performance | July 2020

Solo Exhibitions:

• “Backbone” at Blacke & Vargas, part of Berlin Art Prize, Berlin, Germany | September 2022

• “Displaced Identity” at 31927_2 Gallery, Toronto, Canada | July 2022

• “Visible Thoughts at KunstKan, Gallery Amsterdam, The Netherlands | May 2021

• “Lutzner Street 7” at Albareh Art Gallery, Manama, Bahrain | January 2020 

• “I am a Foreigner” at WerkStadt, Berlin, Germany | January 2020

• “I End to Begin” at 392Rmeil393, Beirut, Lebanon | February 2019

• “I am a Foreigner” at GAPGAP, Leipzig, Germany | September 2017 

• “Emotion in Motion” at Artspace Hamra, Beirut, Lebanon | August 2016

• “The Middle State” at 392Rmeil393, Beirut, Lebanon | February 2015

• “The Middle State” at The University Of Balamand, Balamand, Lebanon | March 2015

• “Bonds” at Art Circle, Beirut, Lebanon | April 2013 

Collective Exhibitions:

• “Ballast” at Soil Art Gallery, Seattle, Washington, USA | September 2022
• “Fluidity” at Kib Raum Fur Kunst, Berlin, Germany | August 2022

• "Die Suche nach der inneren Heimat“ at Lichthausehalle, Halle, Germany | July 2021

• “5Rooms/ 5Artists” at Die Fabrik, Berlin, Germany | September 2020

• “Delicious Procession” at Kinstkraftwerk, Leipzig, Germany | May 2020

• “You’re not my Real Sun” at A&O Kunsthalle (Leipzig Germany) | May 2019

• “Located - Dislocated” at Krudebude (Leipzig, Germany) | April 2019

• “Conversations With Self” at Albareh Art Gallery, Manama, Bahrain | November 2018

• “42 Contemporary Artists”, Berlin, Germany | September 2018 

• “KUDUS” at Grand Cevahir, Istambul, Turkey | April 2017

• “Summer collective” at Artspace Hamra, Beirut, Lebanon | July 2016

• “Hot House” at Pilotenkuche/ Spinnerei, Leipzig, Germany | September 2015

• “Compilation2013” at Art Circle, Beirut, Lebanon | September 2013

Art Residency:

Pilotenkuche International Art Residency, Leipzig, Germany | 2015 - 2016 - 2020

Education:

• BA in Graphic Design at The American University of Science and Technology, Beirut, Lebanon | 2004 – 2008

• Guest student at The Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig| 2018 – 2019