Simone Fattal: Courtyard project

In Simone Fattal’s practice, archaeology, politics, religion, literature and history are closely intertwined. Born in Syria and raised in Lebanon, her work draws from the Mediterranean as a cultural and symbolic point of departure, engaging both ancient mythologies and contemporary socio-political concerns. Figures such as men, women, gods and warriors populate her work, alongside architectural fragments and elements from the natural world. The bronze sculpture “Walker” presents a life-size figure in motion, accompanied by a rock that follows it like a shadow. As Simone Fattal has noted, “Man is a standing animal… Before he started thinking, he got up,” referring to her recurring figures of wanderers and prophets.

Simone Fattal is the subject of a forthcoming solo exhibition at the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris, opening in September 2026. She is the recipient of the International Contemporary Art Prize (PIAC) awarded by the Prince Pierre Foundation of Monaco, and previously received the Julio González International Prize and the Berlin Grand Art Prize in 2024. Recent group exhibitions include “Copystes” at the Centre Pompidou-Metz, as well as participation in the Aichi Triennale and the 18th Istanbul Biennial. Her recent solo exhibitions have been presented at institutions including IVAM, Valencia (2024); the Louvre, Paris (2024); Secession, Vienna (2024); Portikus, Frankfurt (2023); TBA21 Academy, Ocean Space, Venice (2023); ICA Milan (2021); Whitechapel Art Gallery, London (2021); Bergen Kunsthall (2020); and MoMA PS1, New York (2019). She has also participated in major biennials, including the 60th Venice Biennale (2024), the 12th Berlin Biennale (2022), the 16th Lyon Biennale (2022) and the 59th Venice Biennale (2022). A forthcoming solo exhibition at kaufmann repetto New York, in collaboration with Greene Naftali, is scheduled for the following year.