Born in Damascus, artist and writer Simone Fattal grew up in Lebanon and studied philosophy at Beirut’s École des lettres and Paris’ Sorbonne. Returning to Beirut in 1969, she began creating paintings and sculptures in a small live-in studio. In 1980, during the Lebanese Civil War, Fattal relocated to Sausalito, California, with her partner, the poet and painter Etel Adnan. There, she founded the Post-Apollo Press, a publisher devoted to innovative and experimental literary work. In 1988, Fattal returned to her artistic practice, creating sculptures that often appear as if recently excavated from an ancient archaeological site. Her figures employ minimum recognisable detail: two wide columns become legs, a connecting piece of clay the torso or head, and a slight lean to the side a gesture. Her sculptures follow a transformation of the human spirit into material form, both seeking and denying an underlying essence. For The Milk of Dreams, Fattal presents a sculptural installation in the outdoor sculpture garden designed by famed architect Carlo Scarpa within the Central Pavilion. The installation includes Adam and Eve (2021), a bronze cast of one of her first ceramic sculptures. Fattal has also produced three new sculptures, two in ceramic and one in bronze, combining abstract motifs with human form.
Melanie Kress
