Mohamad Khayata
Khayata’s works are the result of ten years of displacement and deal with themes of migration, memory, and identity. His work is a tribute to displaced people whose stories are filled with effort, hope, and serene melancholy. Born in Damascus, Syria, artist Mohamad Khayata was forced to flee his home country due to ongoing political conflict. He has been living in Beirut, Lebanon since 2012.
Khayata’s black-and-white portraits feature women in domestic settings. The backgrounds of delicately layered dry wash elicit vulnerability and emotionality. Women in Khayata’s work wear madeh, a homemade patchwork quilt made from clothing that harkens to personal history with his mother. This madeh also became the inspiration for his documentary photography series “Stitching My Syria Back,” which is a symbol in his work.
In the last few years, Khayata has participated in an increasing number of collective exhibitions across Europe and the Middle East. Holding his BA in Fine Arts obtained at Damascus University, Khayata is a bastion of Syrian legacy, memory, home, and happiness.
