“Backbone” is a collection of video performances, multichannel installations, and documentation by Mazen Khaddaj that signify his relationship with his father, and his death in December 2020. After a long and heavy battle with COVID19, his dad surrendered and passed away at the age of sixty-three. 

‘His passing was like an earthquake that shook my reality and left me broken’.

“Backbone” is an explosion of grief and other unprocessed emotions stemming from Mazen’s childhood into his adult years. With this show, he depicts the story of a gay Arab boy and his relationship with his conservative father.

Biography:

Mazen Khaddaj (b. 1985) is a multidisciplinary Lebanese artist working in painting, performance, video art, and installation. His sexuality, spirituality, and ethnicity are mostly the sources of his inspiration.