Hadia Gana

The word zarda is used to describe both a picnic and a chaotic situation. Gana employs this double meaning to critique the socio-political realities in Libya. Here, she fills the space around a trail with a teapot, cups, stenciled letters, and scattered ceramic garbage as if discarded by an absent party. Upon closer inspection, the installation reveals a political side. The message, “The blood of the martyrs will not go in vain,” references a famous slogan from the Libyan revolution, while the ceramic pieces are branded with the names and images of those who died during this period.

Hadia Gana was born in Tripoli, Libya, in 1973. She lives and works in Paris. She studied at the University of Tripoli and the University of Wales. She has been awarded residencies at the Thami Mnyele Foundation (Amsterdam), Ashkal Alwan (Beirut), Le 18 (Marrakesh), and Sacatar (Brazil). Her work is exhibited worldwide in Libya, France, Malta, the UK and the Netherlands. She is included in the Imago Mundi Collection “Libya: Hurriya.”