MAM Project 032: Bady Dalloul

MAM Project 032 is positioned as the first chapter of “Land of Dreams,” a nomadic exhibition series by Syrian-French artist Bady Dalloul (born 1986 in Paris) to unfold over additional venues within the coming years. Dalloul has become known for his practice interweaving historical events, themes of worldwide migration and his Arab heritage with elements of fiction. Inventing imaginary countries and story-making with his brother as a child, Dalloul’s primary medium is the book, from which it has evolved to encompass assemblage, collage, and film in his artistic practice.

Mirroring the dimensions of Dalloul’s apartment upon first arriving in Japan in 2014 and featuring works produced over the last ten years, the exhibition design highlights the topics at heart: encounter and migration. Dalloul has repeatedly merged his own life stories and ideas with personal histories of others - such as Sasaki Sadako, a Japanese girl who became the victim of the nuclear bombing in Hiroshima, and Syrian immigrants who live and work in Japan today, for example. His work acquires a political significance through its incisive, and sometimes humorous approach in blending various viewpoints on universal human issues that transcend national boundaries, identities, and geographical confines.

The exhibition series “Land of Dreams” will journey from East Asia, through the Middle East, to Western Europe, reversing the historical trajectory of Europe’s colonial expansion in the 16th century. By connecting these three regions and their various histories, starting with the 1543 arrival of the Portuguese as the first Europeans in Japan, it explores their paths across the Middle East, while echoing the artist’s personal stories as the son of Syrian immigrants in France.

* “Land of Dreams” is co-conceived by Mori Art Museum, Jameel Arts Centre (Dubai), and CAM - Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian (Lisbon).

Bady Dalloul

Bady Dalloul (b. 1986 in Paris) is a Syrian-French multimedia artist who studied at Beaux-Arts de Paris. He was the recipient of Sciences Po Prize for Contemporary Art (2016) and Prize for Arab Contemporary Creation awarded by the Friends of the Institut du Monde Arabe (2017). Dalloul has had solo exhibitions at Untilthen Gallery, Paris (2016), Darat al Funun, Amman (2019), and Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha (2023). He has participated in group exhibitions at Gulbenkian Foundation, Paris (2018); Warehouse 421, Abu Dhabi (2019); The Institut Valencià d’Art Modern [IVAM], Spain (2020); Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2020); Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (2022); and Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai (2024) among others. In 2021, he was awarded the Institut français residency program at Villa Kujoyama, Kyoto.

Bady Dalloul

Bady Dalloul (b. 1986 in Paris) is a Syrian-French multimedia artist who studied at Beaux-Arts de Paris. He was the recipient of Sciences Po Prize for Contemporary Art (2016) and Prize for Arab Contemporary Creation awarded by the Friends of the Institut du Monde Arabe (2017). Dalloul has had solo exhibitions at Untilthen Gallery, Paris (2016), Darat al Funun, Amman (2019), and Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha (2023). He has participated in group exhibitions at Gulbenkian Foundation, Paris (2018); Warehouse 421, Abu Dhabi (2019); The Institut Valencià d’Art Modern [IVAM], Spain (2020); Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2020); Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (2022); and Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai (2024) among others. In 2021, he was awarded the Institut français residency program at Villa Kujoyama, Kyoto.