Maha Nasrallah
B. 1960, Beirut
Maha Nasrallah is an architect by training and profession. While her architectural career flourished, Nasrallah discovered her passion for working with clay in 2010. This marked a turning point in her creative journey as she delved into the world of pottery and sculpture. In 2011, she co-founded the Bkerzay Pottery Workshop situated in Baakline, Lebanon. This initiative aimed to promote the art of pottery and provide a platform for local artisans to showcase their talent. Her multidisciplinary background as an architect influences her approach to pottery, enabling her to infuse her creations with a unique blend of design, aesthetics, and craftsmanship.
Through her work, Nasrallah explores the expressive potential of clay, pushing the boundaries of traditional techniques, and experimenting with innovative forms and textures. Her pieces often reflect her introspection and observations of the world around her, capturing the essence of human emotions, memories, and the intricacies of nature.
About her Work
Maha Nasrallah worked on the "qobqab," the Syrian sabot, as a symbol to represent absence and loss. It signifies the loss of culture, the loss of a human being, and even the loss of the second slipper in a pair. The slippers left behind serve as evidence, highlighting the presence of a crime and the absence that follows.
Over a period of three years, she experimented with marble pottery, combining two types of clay to create a single piece. The combination often resulted in surprising outcomes, as the two clays would either merge or separate in unexpected ways. In the case of the "Qobqab" piece, she deliberately followed the accidental separation of the two clays to evoke a sense of fragility and fragmentation.
"Assad 'hangs 13,000 at slaughterhouse jail where prisoners count discarded slippers to know how many have died' One former guard recounted that each night, a prisoner had the task of counting the number of slippers left outside the execution room. "If there were 30 slippers, then we knew that 15 people had been executed," the former officer stated. "There were usually between 30 and 80 slippers outside." Mirror, UK, February 8, 2017
Maha Nasrallah
"Cinderella's slipper" or Qobqab, 2017
red and white clay, earthenware, and milk-fired components