Aidha Badr's 'I'm Never Coming Back' Explores Motherhood and Transformation

Firetti Contemporary, in collaboration with Hunna Art Gallery, presents 'I'm Never Coming Back', a solo exhibition by Brooklyn-born artist Aidha Badr (b.1996). The show runs from September 19 to November 7, 2025. Badr's new body of work examines the psychological shift of motherhood, moving from her earlier focus on the daughter-mother relationship to an introspective exploration of her own maternal identity. The paintings function as diary-like entries, capturing the disorientation of becoming a mother. Self-portraits depict the artist as a distant Madonna, fragmented and restrained, with handwritten text like 'Stay with me a little longer' punctuating the canvases. A recurring motif is the horse, symbolizing acceptance of change: from a dissected toy to a proud, fully formed horse dominating a toy version of itself, as seen in the work 'I Am Not the Same and I Am Never Coming Back'. Badr describes this as 'accepting change without fighting it—to move forward quietly, with grace.' The exhibition ultimately meditates on the female psyche, loss, and gain in transition, layering the voices of daughter and mother.