Al-Hadid's allegorical panel paintings, architecture-inspired sculptures and intricate works on paper scrutinize notions of femininity through a historical and narrative lens
Pbk, 6.75 x 9.5 in. / 96 pgs / 40 color. | 11/25/2025 | Awaiting stock $40.00
Published by Kasmin Books. Edited by Rachel Winter, Molly Taylor. Text by Rachel Winter, Cassie Packard. Conversation with Diana Al-Hadid.
Working across large-scale sculptures, panel paintings, installations and works on paper, Syria-born, New York–based artist Diana Al-Hadid (born 1981) creates allegorical abstractions that draw from such sources as Greek mythology and global literature.unbecoming accompanies a 20-year survey organized by the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University, bringing together works that examine how these narrative sources have molded expectations for women. The accompanying catalog captures the arc of Al-Hadid's unique visual language to date, including a recent series of handmade paper works and a new panel realized for the exhibition. New essays and an artist interview take readers through Al-Hadid's process and address the way questions of gender have continually been at the heart of her practice.
This book was published in conjunction with Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University.
Published by Hatje Cantz. Text by Xandra Eden, Gregory Volk. Foreword by Nancy Doll.
Syrian-born, but raised in the U.S., Diana Al-Hadid (born 1981) is known for her gravity-defying works built from layers of gypsum, steel, cardboard, wax and paint, that integrate references to Western European and Islamic mythology. Employing motifs such as pipe organs, labyrinths and spires, her works recall Northern Renaissance painting and Gothic cathedrals, yet appear in a deteriorated state reminiscent of ruins of long past civilizations. “Ancient ruins are culturally nostalgic objects that carry with them a distinct psychological effect,” she has observed. “[The] cross-cultural attraction to ruins is itself fascinating.” Al-Hadid’s haunting, architecturally inspired sculptures and drawings have been shown in numerous international exhibitions. By presenting her large-scale sculptures, drawings and bronzes together for the first time, this publication highlights the innovative methods through which Al-Hadid recovers influential visual histories and advances them into contemporary times.
Diana Al-Hadid