Diana Al-Hadid - Paper Variable 2025
Diana Al-Hadid
2025 Paper Variables
Diana Al-Hadid, Babble On, 2025
Linen pulp paint and cotton blowout on abaca base sheet.
22h x 30w in. Variable 4/6.
Dieu Donné is pleased to release Babble On, a new Paper Variables edition of six by Diana Al-Hadid, created at our hand papermaking studio with Master Collaborator Amy Jacobs.
Artist Statement
“This series is a return to an early inspiration–Pieter Bruegel’s ‘Tower of Babel.’ As my son pieced together a 5000-piece puzzle of the painting in my new upstate studio, it struck me how task echoed the enormity of the tower. The edges of the puzzle come first, then the sky and ground, leaving a gaping hole for the tower that comes last.
This cavernous gap inspired me to outline the perimeter of Bruegel‘s painting on a screen to duplicate it with the blowout process, leaving the tower open to the washes of paper pulp. I’ve often made works with missing centers, but never from this particular image. I was drawn to the idea of prioritizing the edges of these 16th century so-called ‘Netherland-ish’ world landscapes that simultaneously depict the vastness of a panoramic world while including minuscule details. This scalar extreme—extremely large and miniature— has been a foundational interest and continues to this day.”
About the Artist
Diana Al-Hadid examines the historical frameworks and perspectives that continue to shape discourse on culture and materials today. With a practice spanning sculpture, wall reliefs, and works on paper, the artist weaves together enigmatic narratives that draw inspiration from both ancient and modern civilizations. Al-Hadid’s rich allegorical constructions are born from art historical religious imagery, ancient manuscripts, female archetypes, and folkloric storytelling.
Born in Aleppo, Syria in 1981, Al-Hadid lives and works between upstate New York and Brooklyn, NY. She received a BFA in Sculpture and a BA in Art History from Kent State University (2003); an MFA in Sculpture from Virginia Commonwealth University (2005); and attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (2007). She has been the recipient of a Joan Mitchell Grant, a New York Foundation for the Arts Grant, a Pollock-Krasner Grant, and the Academy of Arts and Letters Art Award. Her mosaic murals for NYC’s Penn Station were among 100 finalists for CODAawards. Al-Hadid has had solo exhibitions at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, East Lansing, MI, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, NY, The Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN, and San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA. In 2018, the artist presented Delirious Matter, a solo exhibition of large-scale sculptures in Madison Square Park, New York, NY. Al-Hadid’s work can be found in numerous institutional collections worldwide, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece, among others.
For more information, please visit
http://www.dianaalhadid.com
About Paper Variables
Celebrate the possibilities! The Paper Variable series are unique collectable works in a limited edition. Each piece is handmade in our studios, and artists love the chance to experiment with different colors and additions to make each piece distinctive. For collectors, it’s an opportunity to acquire works by well known artists at an attractive price. Signed and numbered by the artist.