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Biography

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Rita Adib is a multidisciplinary artist and architect born and raised in Damascus-Syria where she received her bachelor degree in architecture from Damascus University, and moved to Montreal-Canada to earn her BFA majoring in sculpture from Concordia University. Currently she splits her time between Berlin, Beirut and Tiohtià:ke/ Montreal.
Her practice, whether it is paintings, drawings, or site specific installations and performative actions, is deeply rooted in social and political activism.
Rita questions the body in relation to borders, oppression and displacement and focuses on intersectional racial and gender-based discrimination from the point of view of a feminist Arab non-conforming woman.

The intersection between the two disciplines she’s trained in, architecture and sculpture, led her practice to be focused on public spaces and found in public art an ultimate platform to reach a wide audience and achieve accessibility.
Her public artworks stage permeable spaces where conversations and engagement can spark through interactive instruments made to be played and activated by the audience.
As Rita approaches the digital and virtual world as an alternative form of public art, she has been delving into collaborative and activism work through her two dimensional illustrations and comics work for politically and socially engaged Arab online platforms.

Rita Adib.jpg

Photo credit: Kenan Alkuwatly

Her work has been shown in various solo and group exhibitions in Beirut and Montreal and in several public sites around Tiohtià:ke/ Montreal and in the UK (Manchester, Portsmouth and Leicester) 
She has participated in art residences in Montreal, Belfast, Riga and Berlin and received grants from Montreal Art Council (Canada), British council (Middle east), Ettijahat independent cultures (Brussels), Akademie der Kunste (Berlin)
Rita has participated in a number of artist talks and podcasts as a guest speaker addressing art making in relation to activism, outsands them “Trajectoires”; podcast series by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA)

Education

2022-2023 Re-imagine your city- International design Lab - Hybrid program, Berlin, Germany
2014 -2018 Bachelor degree in Fine Arts, Sculpture Major – Concordia University- Montreal, Canada  
2008-2013  Bachelor degree in Architecture – Damascus University- Damascus, Syria

Art Residencies

2024 “World cities”- Artemed residence of mediterranean artists- Paris,France
2023 Re-imagine your city- International design Lab- Summer school- Tbilisi, Georgia
2022 Art Retreat: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)- Hammana Artist House- Beirut, Lebanon
2021 Sculpture Quadrennial Riga- remote public art residency- Riga, Latvia
2021 Production residency for LOOKUP public art project by ART REACH, Hosted at Coculture- Berlin, Germany.
2020 Atelier La Coulée residency program- Foundry & Metalshop- Montreal, Canada.
2020 Net//Work Digital Arts Residency- DAS digital art studios- Belfast, Northern Ireland. Held at MOMENTUM Berlin, Germany
      

Public Art Festivals

2024 Sculpture Quadrennial Riga - Riga, Latvia
2021 Quand l’art Prend L’air - “Forging truths Weighing relief”- Park Vinet- Montreal, Canada
2021 Journey art festival- “Occupy”- Manchester, Portsmouth, Leicester, UK

Exhibitions

Solo
2022 In Memory of Patriarchy- Centre Culturel George Vanier- Montreal, Canada
2019 In Memory of Patriarchy -  Gallery 392rmeil393, Curator: Dima Matta-   Beirut, Lebanon                           

Group
2023 The Journey after the scars - Curated by Zena El Abdalla and Chiara Guidoni- Perugia,Italy 
2021 Net//Work Online exhibition- Curated and hosted by DAS digital arts studios and British Council. 
2021 WE - Foundation Rad Hourani- Montreal, QC, Canada
2018 Seed Bomb- Making Art Making Politics. Collaboration with Mauricio Aristizabal, Parc Jean Drapeau- Montreal, Canada.
2018 Bronze and Aluminum Showcase- Concordia University - Curator: Natalie Nadeau, Montreal, QC, Canada
2018 Love letters to meem, Station Beirut , Curator: Dima Matta- Beirut, Lebanon.                                     
2018 Festival de la Solidarite International, Greek Workers association- Montreal (QC), Canada.
2017 1/4 Group Show, VAV Gallery, Concordia University-  Montreal (QC), Canada.
2016 Fragments,  Main line Gallery- Montreal (QC), Canada. 

 
Grants 

2021 INITIAL special grant - Akademie der Künste- Berlin, Germany
2021 Laboratory of arts - Ettijahat Independent culture- Brussels, Belgium
2021 Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM) “Quand l’art Prend L’air”- Public art Project- Montreal, Canada
2020 British Council grant for Net//Work Digital Arts Residency
2018 FASA Winter student grant– Concordia University- Montreal, QC, Canada
2017 Outdoor sculpture competition– Public art installation, Concordia University - Montreal, QC, Canada. 
 
 
Artist talks, Podcasts, and Workshops

2021 Tashweesh – Conversations and Alliances in Feminism- Artist talk and conversation at TASHWEESH Festival- a multi-locations multidisciplinary art festival- Online
2021 Podcast guest speaker, series: Trajectories- Host and Director: Mojeanne Sarah Behzadi- Montreal Museum of Fine Arts MMFA- https://www.mbam.qc.ca/fr/trajectoires/ - Montreal, Canada 
2021 ‘Drag them Patriarchs'- Artist talk at Symposium “Across Borders: Body&Self”- Coculture - Berlin, Germany.
2021 2021 Atelier La Coulée Podcast “D’un studio à l'Autre” - Conception, scriptwriting and guest speaker- Funded by CALQ and CAM- https://atelierlacoulee.org/balado/ - Montreal, Canada.
2021 Women Now Development - Position: Artistic workshops creator and facilitator, Online workshops. 
2019 Artist talk and conversation at American University of Beirut, graduate class “Feminism and gender studies”- Professor: Sarah Mourad-  Beirut, Lebanon
 

Press

Maghie Ghali, " A ghoulish address to the patriarchy", The Daily Star Lebanon- 2019
Alaa Rashidi,  "ذكور السلطوية.. كائنات هزلية آيلة للانقراض", Almodon-2019
Chiri Choukeir- 'In Memory of Patriarchy:' A personal celebration through art , AN-NAHAR- 2019
Ahmad Mouhsen- ضفة ثالثة, ريتا أديب.. الذكورية في محطاتها الطويلة Alaraby aljadeed- 2019                            

Contact Me

rita.adib191@gmail.com

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