we refuse_d

Majd Abdel Hamid is a Palestinian visual artist based between Beirut and Paris. His practice offers a quiet, contemplative engagement with time, trauma and memory. He uses textile-based processes as a form of meditative and political engagement, foregrounding slowness as a method of survival, reflection and refusal. Majd Abdel Hamid explores the fragmented conditions of contemporary life under occupation, displacement, and systemic violence. Rather than offering resolution, his works hold space for ambiguity, mourning and subtle acts of defiance. 

Resonance presents a series of embroideries tracing the slow growth of a succulent plant observed over several months. Through the practice of embroidery and watching a plant grow on a daily basis, Hamid abstracts a set of motifs from lived experience. Known for their thick leaves and ability to thrive in arid conditions, succulents embody resilience, adaptability and quiet intelligence. Their spiral formations optimise survival, maximising light-energy, and channelling moisture to the roots. In these embroidered studies, the plant becomes a metaphor for persistence under pressure and for enduring in resource-scarce environments. With subtlety and care, Abdel Hamid draws parallels between natural survival strategies and the emotional and political landscapes of human life.

we refuse_d is produced by Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, on the occasion of their 15th anniversary, and presented in partnership with M HKA.
Curated by Nadia Radwan and Vasıf Kortun.

• 

  Resonance, 2025

  Majd Abdel Hamid