Shada Safadi, born in 1982 in Majdal Shams, in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, began her artistic journey by studying painting and etching at the Adham Ismail Institute in Damascus. Later, she graduated from Damascus University with a degree in Fine Arts.As a founding member of the Fateh Al Mudarris Center for Arts and Culture, Safadi’s talent was recognized with a third-place award at the A.M. Qattan Foundation’s Young Artist of the YearAwards in 2008 for her series “In the Presence of the Crow.”Her artworks have been displayed in various exhibitions across Syria, Palestine, Sweden, and theUK. Notably, she participated in the Syrian Cultural Caravan, showcasing her art across Europe.
In 2014, Safadi completed an art residency at Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. Recently, she exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova in Slovenia with the exhibition “What the Crocodile Dreams About?”. Additionally, she collaborated with Akram al Halabi for the two-person exhibition “Mist” at Zawyeh Gallery in Ramallah in 2022. Adding to her achievements, Safadi was an art resident at the Alserkal Art Foundation in Dubai in 2023. Currently, she resides and works between her hometown in the occupied Golan Heights andRamallah, in occupied Palestine.
This residency is made possible with generous support from the Alserkal Arts Foundation.
Welcome gathering for the artist Shada Safadi, the first resident of this year’s TEJA Emergency Program.
This residency is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Alserkal Arts Foundation.
Organized in collaboration with TEJA, Paisanaje, Museo Reina Sofía, Museo Situado, and L’Internationale, as part of the Ministry of Culture’s Culture for Peace program. The evening brought together our resident artists Shada Safadi and Manar Idris, as well as the Ambassador of Palestine to Spain. Through the voices of Palestinian poets (from the Nakba to present-day Gaza) the event celebrated the power of culture as resistance and reaffirmed our commitment to solidarity and artistic internationalism.
On June 14 and 16, our resident artist Shada Safadi participated in the workshop “Jocs de llavors, plantes i flors dels Alts del Golan” at MACBA, a proposal by the Jardí Ambulant project. The activity, carried out with Casal dels Infants and the project Com-partir temps (ArtGran), activated sensory and territorial memories through natural pigments, botanical species, and storytelling, creating connections between generations and landscapes.
This residency is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Alserkal Arts Foundation.
As part of her residency at La Escocesa, artist Shada Safadi carried out a personalized workshop in April at the Manera Negra printmaking studio, led by Maria Pujol.
Photogravure is a contemporary intaglio printmaking technique that uses photopolymer plates. It offers a safer, less toxic, and faster alternative to traditional etching methods. Shada experimented with digital images and photographs within the framework of her project Birds That No Longer Wish to Migrate.
This residency is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Alserkal Arts Foundation.
The first session of the annual program took place with artist Shada Safadi as the inaugural guest. During the event, Azar was introduced, along with the project’s objectives, its programming, planned collaborations, and the context in which it is being developed, including an overview of the Darsiná collective.
Shada Safadi shared her experience during her residency at La Escocesa and gave a talk in which she delved into her artistic career. Her presentation offered valuable insights into the colonial context of the Golan, viewed through both personal and political lenses.
This past Tuesday, May 13, we presented TEJA at the Círculo de Bellas Artes – Casa Europa, in a warm and necessary gathering that brought together artists, institutions, and allies to reflect on art as a space of refuge, resistance, and collective creation. Representatives such as Manuela Otero, María Tolmos, Flavia Introzzi, and Amelie Aranguren shared the network’s history and goals, joined by powerful interventions from Shada Safadi, Manar Idrissi, Tareq Khalaf and Karim Hauser, as well as artistic contributions from Dora García and Lara Salous, whose works were sold to support TEJA’s activities. The event also featured catering by Lakook, a performance by Una Fiesta Salvaje, and simultaneous translation by Abderrahim Abkari. TEJA deeply appreciates the support received and celebrates the collective work of its members.
