EQUILIBRIUM

By Maha Eddé

EXPLORING BALANCE AND INTERCONNECTEDNESS IN ECOSYSTEMS

Through my art practice and this body of work, I explore a tiny fragment of our immense and dynamic world, one artwork at a time. I look to simplify its complexity based on the premise that a universal drive for balance, rhythm, and harmony exists persistently and ubiquitously in all scales and realms.

As I carve a line into the oil paint, a composition slowly emerges. Biomorphic shapes that suggest biological, botanic, or celestial forms appear. Shapes of forces, and wind or water, join them. The components naturally begin to self-organize, competing, layering and connecting. They strive to coexist and achieve equilibrium in an intricate system with its own rules. A story begins to take shape.

I eagerly paint to gain an understanding of the story as it unfolds in front of my eyes. Twists and turns in the plot surprise me and drive me to delve deeper into the characters' complexities and their relationships with each other. Power plays and roles become apparent in the newly formed ecosystem.

In the  bas-relief paintings of this exhibition, I have extracted and isolated individual characters that originated from compositions. Undistracted by their environments and interaction with others, I’m fascinated to uncover deeper layers of complexity within the seemingly simple forms.

In the intricate dance of existence, all ecosystems — natural or man-made, biological, ecological, political, or societal — comprise individual elements, forces, or drives, where balance is the guiding principle for a harmonious landscape. 

Exhibition Catalogue