"I am one with metal" — Abdul Rahman Katanani
Born in Beirut’s Sabra refugee camp in 1983, Abdul Rahman Katanani is a Palestinian artist whose practice transforms the detritus of exile into forms of resilience and memory. Based between Paris and Beirut, he is a third-generation refugee who obtained French citizenship in 2019.
Katanani studied at the Lebanese University, earning both a Diploma (2007) and MFA in Fine Arts (2012). His career developed through successive residencies at Cité internationale des arts, Paris (2012, 2013, 2016), La Terrasse / Centre d’Art de Nanterre (2016), and Vent des Forêts in France (2017). These experiences expanded his vocabulary while maintaining a close dialogue with the material and visual culture of the camps.
Emerging first as a graffiti and mural artist, Katanani has since become recognized for his large-scale installations and sculptures fashioned from corrugated zinc, oil barrels, scrap metal, mirrors, and wood. A defining aspect of his practice is the use of barbed wire, which he manipulates through a custom-built loom to produce intricate weaves and controlled sculptural forms. Despite the ruggedness of his materials, the resulting works often carry a surprising delicacy and refinement, as recurring motifs of tornadoes, waves, olive trees, and the patterns of traditional Palestinian embroidery render themes of displacement, endurance, and the pursuit of freedom.
He has presented solo exhibitions across the Middle East and Europe, including Rituals (Danysz Gallery, Paris, 2021), Brainstorm (Saleh Barakat Gallery, Beirut, 2019), Hard Core (Magda Danysz Gallery, Paris, 2017), and Children, Olive Trees and Barbed Wire (Al Markhiya Gallery, Doha, 2016). His installations have featured in biennales and international exhibitions such as Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire (2021), Biennale d’Anglet (2016), and the Abu Dhabi Biennale (2009).
Katanani’s works are held in major public and private collections, including the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art (Doha), Barjeel Art Foundation (Sharjah), Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation (Beirut), Dar El-Nimer (Beirut), Boghossian Foundation / Villa Empain (Brussels), Institut du Monde Arabe (Paris), Accor Art Collection (Paris), and the Philippe Jabre Collection (Beirut). His practice has been recognized with the Young Artists Prize at the Salon d’Automne, Sursock Museum (2009).
