Abdul Rahman Katanani (also Abdulrahman Katanani; ) is a

Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...

sculptor. He was born and lives in Sabra refugee camp near

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

. Katanani is a third generation

Palestinian refugee Palestinian refugees are citizens of Mandatory Palestine, and their descendants, who fled or were expelled from their country, village or house over the course of the 1948 Palestine war and during the 1967 Six-Day War. Most Palestinian refug ...

; his grandparents left Yazour—a small town now called Azor—in

Jaffa Jaffa (, ; , ), also called Japho, Joppa or Joppe in English, is an ancient Levantine Sea, Levantine port city which is part of Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, located in its southern part. The city sits atop a naturally elevated outcrop on ...

during the

1948 Palestinian exodus In the 1948 Palestine war, more than 700,000 Palestinian Arabs – about half of Mandatory Palestine's predominantly Arab population – fled from their homes or were expelled. Expulsions and attacks against Palestinians were carried out by th ...

Early life

Abdul Rahman Katanani was born in 1983, nine months after the Sabra & Shatila massacre. His first works of art were political cartoons, much inspired by Palestinian cartoonist and political critic,

Naji al-Ali Naji Salim Hussain Al-Ali ( '; born c. 1938 – 29 August 1987) was a Palestinians, Palestinian Political cartoon, political cartoonist, noted for the political criticism of the Arab regimes and Israel in his works. Al-Ali is best known as the ...

. In 2008 he received a Special Mention and in 2009 he received the Young Artist Prize during Salon d'Automne held by

Sursock Museum The Sursock Museum (), officially known as the Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock Museum, is a modern and contemporary art museum in Beirut, Lebanon. History In 1912, the Lebanese aristocrat Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock built the private villa that now house ...

Education

Katanani attended the

Lebanese University The Lebanese University (LU; ) is the only state-funded public university in Lebanon. It was established in 1951. The university's main campus was originally located in Beirut, but a few satellite campuses were opened due to travel restriction ...

in Beirut where he received a Diploma and Masters of Fine Arts. He has been a resident artist at

Cité internationale des arts The Cité internationale des arts is an artist-in-residence building complex which accommodates artists of all specialities and nationalities in Paris. It comprises two sites, one located in the Marais and the other in Montmartre. Approximately ...

in Paris, France. In 2016, he was a resident artist at Centre d'Art de Nanterre in Paris, France.

Work

Katanani makes his art out of various materials such as scrap metal and barbed wire that he sources from within the camp. His artwork has sold in auctions by

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Geneva, Shan ...

. In 2016,

Artnet Artnet.com is an art market website. It is operated by Artnet Worldwide Corporation, which has headquarters in New York City. It is owned by Artnet AG, a German publicly-traded company based in Berlin that is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Ex ...

News called Katanani one of "the strongest mid-career artists in the Arab world". In 2012 AbdulRahman Katanani and his work were featured in Christophe Donner's French documentary “''Le Lanceur de Pierres رامي الحجارة''” (''The Stone Thrower'').

Collection

Katanani's piece, "With Her Nephew, Ahmad" is a part of the permanent collection of Barjeel Art Foundation.

Exhibitions

Katanani has held solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions in multiple countries. Some of them include:

Solo exhibitions

* 2016 "Children, Olive Trees & Barbed Wire", Al Markhiya Gallery; Doha, Qatar * 2015 "Softness of a Circle, Knife Edge of a Straight Line", Agial Art Gallery; Beirut, Lebanon * 2014 "Kids, Barbed Wire, and a Dream", Tanit Gallery; Munich, Germany * 2012 "No Address", French Institute, Beirut, Lebanon. * 2011 "Zinc, Barbed Wire, and Freedom", Agial Art Gallery; Beirut, Lebanon

Group exhibitions

* 2016 "Jardin d'Orient",

Arab World Institute The Institut du Monde Arabe (, ''Arab World Institute''; abbr. IMA) is an organisation founded in Paris in 1980 by France with 18 Arab countries to research and disseminate information about the Arab world and its cultural and spiritual values. ...

; Paris, France * 2014 My Beautiful Laundrette", Cite International des Arts; Paris, France * 2012 "Together We Connect", Anima Gallery; Doha, Gallery * 2011 "Rebirth"; Beirut Exhibition Center; Beirut, Lebanon * 2011 "Isharat", Al Markhiya Gallery; Doha, Qatar * 2009

Abu Dhabi Art Abu Dhabi Art is an art fair that takes place every November in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, featuring art gallerias, art and design foundations, as well as additional educational programming and talks. History Organized by Abu Dhabi Authori ...

* 2009

Penang State Museum and Art Gallery Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. These ...

; Penang, Malaysia

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Katanani, Abdul Rahman 1984 births Living people Lebanese University alumni 21st-century Palestinian male artists 21st-century Palestinian artists Palestinian contemporary artists Palestinian refugees Palestinian sculptors Artists from Beirut 21st-century sculptors