Simone Fattal's 'metaphorS' at Secession, Vienna

Simone Fattal's exhibition 'metaphorS' at the Secession in Vienna presents her fired clay and ceramic sculptures, paintings, and collages from different periods. The works explore humanity, culture, history, conflict, nature, faith, and trust, deeply rooted in Middle Eastern culture and history. Fattal, raised in Damascus and Beirut, draws inspiration from epic literature, poetry, archaeology, and landscapes of the region. Her sculptures reference characters like Gilgamesh, Dhat al-Himma, Dionysus, and Adam and Eve. The exhibition features five large-format clay sculptures from the 'Guerriers' series, created in 2008 in Grasse, France, shown publicly for the first time outside Lebanon. Also included are abstract paintings and two large landscapes, 'Sitter I and II', painted at the Sitterwerk in St. Gallen, Switzerland. The accompanying publication includes an interview with curator Cecilia Alemani, who featured Fattal in the 2022 Venice Biennale central exhibition.