NADIA BENYAHYA

Madrid, 1984

Biography

Nadia Benyahya (Madrid, 1984) is a visual artist specializing in oil artist specialized in figurative oil painting.
Like Kerouac, this Madrilenian with an unrepeatable surname is only interested in people who are crazy for living,
crazy to talk, crazy to save themselves, wanting to do everything at the same time, everything at the same time. And that madness that keeps us sane is the protagonist of her work. Incombustible and with the instinct for science, she searches for that second that has just gone, creating photograms of a fire. How could his paintings not her paintings look like a dirty verse of Sabina in Sofia Coppola’s mouth? At the same time delicate, her way of painting is like being hit by a light in the middle of the stomach.

We live in a world of appearances in which we have become disconnected from ourselves and from disconnected from ourselves and from others. We no longer have the time to know what we feel or why we feel it, nor the courage to show ourselves as we are, without filters or artifice. We invest all our effort in window dressing, and leave the main room in complete darkness.

With my painting I try to offer a switch that illuminates the way back. In this line, I seek to capture the light and the sensations that surround it by using oil on canvas, linen or wood. My aim is to transcend the obvious and capture the essence.
A priori it might seem that the painting captures a specific moment. Something static and encapsulated. But life is
movement, just like the emotions that are told in my works. Therefore, in the quest to amplify its impact, I am investigating its accompaniment through an audiovisual piece. Starting from the creative process of the painting itself,
together with shots that capture the sensory universe that accompanies the piece.

ARMA GALLERY - Contemporary Art - Nadia Benyahya - 01
ARMA GALLERY - Contemporary Art - Nadia Benyahya - 05
ARMA GALLERY - Contemporary Art - Nadia Benyahya - 06
ARMA GALLERY - Contemporary Art - Nadia Benyahya - 03

Statement

We live in a world of appearances, disconnected from others and our own selves. We no longer have time to realize what we truly feel or the courage to show ourselves without filters or artifices. We invest all our effort in the showcase, leaving the main room in complete darkness. With my painting I try to offer a switch that lights the way back in.

In this connection, i seek to express that light and those feelings surrounding it using oil on canvas, linen or wood. My goal is to transcend the obvious and capture the true essence.

CV

Solo shows

Mediterráneo. Lobby Art Gallery – Hotel Emperador | Madrid – Coming soon
Bloom. Arma Gallery | Madrid – Coming soon
Indómitas. Cultura Inquieta | Madrid 2019
Luz en Femenino. Sugar Gallery | Madrid 2015
Desde la Piel. María Pandora | Madrid 2014

Group shows

Art Madrid Fair. Arma Gallery | Madrid 2023
Un antes y un después. Exposición colectiva, Arma Gallery | Madrid 2022
Los Ilustrados de Ornamante. Exposición colectiva | Bcn 2017
‘Who is Miss Catbantry?’. Exposición colectiva, Miscelánea | Bcn 2016

Collaborations, Awards & Residencies

Can7. Artistic Residence | Formentera 2023

Oddisey of the Seas. Private Collection, ‘Royal Caribbean Cruises’ | USA 2023

‘The Gold’, BBC. Paintings for the series | Almería 2022

La Alborada. Artistic Residence | Málaga 2022 ‘

The English’, BBC. Portraits of Emily Blunt for the series | Madrid 2021

Harmonies by Boa mistura. Studio Assistant | Paris 2020

Fronteras.. Mural Intervention, School of Burmese Refugees | Thailand 2020

‘Soulmates’, AMC. Large-format paintings for the series | Madrid 2019

‘Elite’, Netflix. Paintings, drawings, and concepts for the series | Madrid 2017

Collaboration with the Victoria brand | Madrid 2017