I wish everything was different

Ahmad Mallah received a grant to create new work. He is currently working on a large-scale painting inspired by Polaroid photos of his family and community, archival material on his Palestinian heritage, and contemporary news images. The work explores the intersection of personal and collective memories within a broader social and historical context. It combines intimate moments with themes of loss and hope, rendered through layered imagery and colors. Through this monumental scale, Mallah investigates new techniques and forms of expression, centering on reflections on identity, trauma, and imagination.  

Starting from his own skin and employing various techniques, Ahmad Mallah embarked on a long journey in search of his identity as a Palestinian artist. Born and raised in Syria, he was forced to flee once again due to war, undertaking an asylum journey that brought him to the Netherlands in 2014. His art explores themes of the body, war, diaspora, identity, gender, and the longing for home. Through his interdisciplinary practice, he visualizes his personal experiences as a stateless artist. Mallah 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 the human desires for security and freedom. This flux shapes contemporary identity and profoundly influences the human condition.