About

Nidaa Badwan (born April 17, 1987) is a Palestinian artist and photographer with Italian citizenship, born in the United Arab Emirates and raised in the Gaza Strip. She is known for her project "100 Days of Solitude", a series of photographic self-portraits created during a self-imposed exile in response to the violence suffered in Gaza.

ARTISTIC CAREER

2011-2013: Nidaa began exploring photography as a means of artistic expression, documenting everyday life in the Gaza Strip.
2013: She started the project "100 Days of Solitude", a self-imposed exile in response to the violence she experienced. During this period, she created a series of self-portraits that document her daily life in isolation.
2016: The project "100 Days of Solitude" was featured on the cover of the New York Times, bringing Nidaa international recognition. She was selected for the "2016 Sovereign Middle East & North Africa Art Prize", as one of the 30 best artists in the Arab world.
2017: She participated as a speaker at the UNESCO conference in Carthage, Tunisia, on the topic "Cultural Heritage and Identity: An Arab Youth Perspective".
2018: Nidaa was a speaker at TEDx San Marino. She exhibited her work in various institutions in Italy and abroad, including the Musée du quai Branly in Paris and the California Museum of Photography in Riverside.
2020: She created the series "Le Oscure Notti dell’Anima", which explores themes of introspection and rebirth.
2021: She began the project "The Game", a tribute to the poet Dante Alighieri on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of his death.
2023: The Museum for Art in Wood in Philadelphia commissioned a project dedicated to the Mashrabiya, a wooden structure typical of Islamic architecture. Nidaa created the series "Love behind the Mashrabiya", in which the wooden structure does not conceal anything but becomes the backdrop for the lives of the portrayed subjects.
2024: Nidaa's project "Rinascita" is a photographic series that explores themes of rebirth and personal transformation. Born from the necessity to surpass the boundaries of her own artistic and personal journey, this series represents a moment of awakening and renewal for the artist. The images in "Rinascita" retrace Nidaa's intimate experience from her conception in 1986 to her birth in 1987, serving as a metaphor for universal rebirth. Through these photographs, Nidaa explores her inner essence and the desire to emancipate herself from the darkness of suffering and repression. The project was first exhibited at the Galleria Fumagalli in Milan in 2024, accompanied by a documentary film directed by Andrea Laquidara, which tells Nidaa's story and the genesis of her new artistic project. Also in 2024, she won the seventh edition of the "Premio Pannaggi/Nuova Generazione". She inaugurated the solo exhibition "The Saving Light" at the Civic Museums of Palazzo Buonaccorsi in Macerata (Italy), exploring themes of light, rebirth, and introspection through her site-specific photographs.
Her exhibitions continue to tour the world, attracting the attention of critics and audiences in Italy, Germany, the United States, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates.

WORKSHOPS

Nidaa Badwan participated as a teacher at the "University of Design" in the Republic of San Marino, where she shared her artistic experiences and her approach to photography with the students. She offered workshops and lectures that allowed students to explore new creative perspectives and better understand the challenges and opportunities of contemporary art.

In addition, Nidaa collaborated with the "Academy of Fine Arts" of Naples, one of the most important and oldest in Italy, as part of the "Frontiere Creative Lab" project, where she took part in workshops and meetings with students from various disciplines. During these workshops, she shared her works and experiences, offering students a unique perspective on her art and the social and personal themes that inspire her.