Abdo el Moudawar
"A dream location for an artwork for me would be near the Eye Film Museum."
Five questions, five answers with Abdo El Moudawar, artist of Edition 13.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ARTWORK IN ONE SENTENCE?
Lost in light is a symbolic representation of our journeys in life, the choices we face and decisions we take, shaping our personalities along the way.
WHAT ARE RITUALS IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE THAT YOU VALUE?
Other than kissing my cat to death every day I wake up, there's one sentence which I like to repeat: ‘May only goodness peace health and wealth love and beauty come to me and come out of me.’
ARE THERE ANY RITUALS THAT INFLUENCE YOUR WAY OF WORKING?
Usually I start the foundations with a certain concept and style, then I let it simmer, while I let myself get lost into ideas trying to find my way back to my original concept.
IF YOU COULD PICK ONE PLACE IN AMSTERDAM FOR A PERMANENT ARTWORK OF YOURS, WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE IT TO BE?
A dream location for an artwork for me would be near the Eye Film Museum, that magnificent building which keeps you company while waiting for your bus at Central Station.
THE FIELD OF LIGHT ART IS LARGELY DOMINATED BY MALE ARTISTS. HOW DO YOU THINK WE CAN STIMULATE TO HAVE A MORE DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE BODY OF PARTICIPATING ARTISTS IN AMSTERDAM LIGHT FESTIVAL AND LIGHT ART IN GENERAL?
I believe that the diversity in mindset and interests between genders is what makes life so rich, but maybe specifically for a light festival, choosing certain themes that could be more appealing to other genders such as more social oriented themes could be the key.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Abdo El Moudawar (LB, 1978) is a multi-disciplinary artist and designer, born and raised in Beirut, with all the ups and downs of a city at war and at peace. The contrasted mixture of beauty and destruction definitely had influence on his work. He graduated in interior design followed by a specialized postgraduate degree in scenography for cinema and theatre. Alongside his studies, El Moudawar was a self-taught artist, practicing portrait drawing and painting. Some of his works were exhibited in the most prestigious galleries in Beirut, such as Sursock museum.