Najia Mehadji was born in Paris in 1950.
Najia Mehadji is a major artist on the contemporary art scene in Morocco. She has also been recognized in France since the 1980s, with several museum exhibitions, including two retrospectives in 2018 and 2019.
Her dual French and Moroccan origins led her to create an early synthesis of Western and Eastern cultures. At a very early age, his interest in avant-garde theater and the expression of the body led him to invent his own tools and a singular approach to painting. In France in the 70s, her commitment to the recognition of women in contemporary art led her to join the Femmes/Art group and work for the magazine Sorcières.
Najia Mehadji's work can be divided into several major creative periods. After impression paintings (1980-1990) influenced by contemporary music and bodily expression, followed by large-format, monochrome paintings/drawings on linen canvas, with universal symbolic forms (1990-2010), since 2010 she has been developing works centered on gesture, inspired by oriental calligraphy and dance. She creates her own writing in continuous, dynamic lines, in a physical and mental performance. At the same time, she creates works that speak out against the barbarity of war (particularly the plight of women) and the death penalty worldwide.
Her work can be found in numerous collections, including the Institut du Monde Arabe (France), the Fonds National d'Art Contemporain de Paris (France), the Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain du Centre Georges Pompidou (France), the Musée d'Art Moderne de Céret (France), the Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Amman (Jordan) and the Musée Mohammed VI d'Art Moderne et Contemporain (Morocco).
Najia Mehadji lives and works between Paris and Essaouira.