I wish everything was different

Ahmad Mallah received a grant for the creation of new work. He worked on a large-scale painting inspired by Polaroid photographs of his family and community, archival material related to his Palestinian heritage, and current news images. The work explores the convergence of personal and collective memories within a broader social and historical context. Intimate moments are interwoven with themes of loss and hope, rendered through layered imagery and colour. Through this monumental format, Mallah experiments with new techniques and forms of expression, centring reflection on identity, trauma, and imagination. Ahmad will present his new work at This Art Fair — an art fair that offers individual artists the opportunity to independently and professionally exhibit and sell their work.

Beginning with his own skin and employing a range of techniques, Ahmad Mallah embarked on a long journey in search of his identity as a Palestinian artist, born and raised in Syria, until the war forced him to flee once again. His journey as a refugee eventually led him to the Netherlands in 2014. His art is an exploration of the body, war, diaspora, identity, gender, and the longing for home. Through his interdisciplinary practice, he visualises his personal experience as a stateless artist. Ahmad does not belong to a specific place or time; for him, belonging is a dilemma of existence — a state of emotional and intellectual flux between our human desires for safety and freedom. This flux shapes our contemporary identity and profoundly impacts our human condition.