Shanan Fatma (b. 1986, Israel) born and raised in Julis, a Druze village in Northern Israel; lives and works in Tel Aviv and Switzerland. Holds a BFA from Oranim Academic College of Education, Kiryat Tivon. Studied at the studio of Eli Shamir. Held a solo exhibition at Zemack Gallery, Tel Aviv and at the Contemporary Art Gallery, Kiryat Tivon. Participated in group exhibitions in Israel and aboard including the second Mediterranean Biennale 2013 in Sakhnin. Recipient of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation “Keren Sharet” Scholarship Program Award in 2010 and the 2014 Encouragement Prize of the Ministry of Culture. Participated in “Artport” residency in 2016. Recipient of the Haim Shiff Prize for Figurative Realist Art 2016, which included a solo exhibition at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in 2017.
Shanan focuses on figurative painting, mostly using the technique of oil on canvas. Her works are characterized by theatrical and enigmatic views on pre-staged scenes, in which participants belong to various circles of her own life. Shanan’s art strives to deconstruct firm definitions concerning the art of painting, as well as gender, national and ethnic identities. By this deconstruction, Shanan suggests fluid definitions that can flow through these different realms.
