Rice, Sculpted Faux Food, Rotating-Motor, Doll-Torso, Sound Art,
120cm x 60cm x 60cm
Madhi contemplates the complex relationship between homesickness and food, questioning if a dish's visual memory can replace its taste. He reflects on Tumpeng, a traditional Javanese dish symbolizing gratitude, fortune, and harmony. Its yellow rice cone, representing prosperity, is surrounded by side dishes like fried chicken and tofu, symbolizing life's balance. His aunt's playful Tumpeng creations, adorned with Barbie torsos, captivated children but remained untasted by him, as it was reserved for elders. Reconstructing Tumpeng, he seeks to heal his family’s longing for his late aunt, connecting visual nostalgia with tradition’s power to preserve memory and identity beyond taste.
Currently Exhibiting at:
- BITING BETWEEN ONE’S TEETH (Group Exhibition), Curated by Basmah Felemban, Wasl Art Space, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (2025).
Kinetic-Art, Sculpture, Art-Installation, Sound-art,
Wig, Paper-Folded Print, Photographic Print,
150cm x 200cm.
In From Roots of My Follicles (2024), Madhi explores censorship through performance art, photography, and paper-folding to challenge societal boundaries. He leverages his role as a male relative to reconstruct and revive the destroyed photographic archives of his aunts—images that were erased due to their depiction of uncovered hair. Madhi integrates his own scanned 3D head as a symbolic platform to display recreated versions of his aunts’ hair, reclaiming their erased presence and identity.
Exhibited at:
- كَيْدُ الرّجَال قَهرُ النِّساء, Curated by Alaa Tarabzouni, Athr Building, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2024-2025).
- Leftovers (Group Exhibition), Estiraha, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2024).
Photography, Sculpture, Art-Installation,
... And There You Are Again, (2024).
Photographic Print,
30cm x 30cm.
In Jeddah, where the ocean is admired but rarely touched, Madhi ventured to a remote shore for a 4 a.m. film shoot. The eerie darkness heightened his anticipation until sunrise unveiled a stunning seascape. The first light on the waves evoked joy and discovery, offering a profound disconnection from reality yet connection to a wondrous realm. This photograph captures that transformative moment, embodying the delicate interplay between yearning and fulfillment, darkness and dawn.
Exhibited at:
- “I CAN SEE LAND”, SINDBAD, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (2023-2024).
Photography,
Madhi explores identity and the challenges immigrants face when adapting to new cultures, with family connections spanning Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia. Heirlooms, some passed down for six generations, serve as tangible links to the past, often carrying gendered traditions. Hybrid identities can lead to feelings of alienation, as non-native appearances, speech, and attire shape perceptions of belonging. In Sarongs Over the Ocean, Madhi examines these identity collisions by merging attires from the cultures they have assimilated with, becoming a symbol of adaptation amid shifting cultural landscapes.
Slot Machine, 3 photo-slides, 12 images
188cm x 90cm x 80 cm.
In Unearthly Genesis (2022), Madhi reflects on identity and how genetic “chances” shape who we become. He draws from his own family’s history, touching on feelings of alienation that many experience but rarely discuss. Influenced by the idea of identity as a matter of “luck,” he questions what it means to truly belong. His artwork features photographs and miniature figures of different identities, which are placed inside a Slot Machine. Visitors are invited to play and ponder the randomness of their own identity, asking themselves if they’ve hit the “identity jackpot.”
Showcased at:
- Archival Aesthetics, Masaha Residency Cycle 3, Misk Art Institute, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2022).
Photography, Kinetic-Art, Art-Installation,