ABOUT
Cham Chahda is a Syrian/ Canadian artist and pianist born in 1982 into a family of artists. Her parents were both established artists in their own right, and they nurtured Cham's artistic talents from an early age. Encouraged by her father's love for classical music, Cham began taking piano lessons and quickly discovered a talent for the instrument. Her dedication and hard work paid off, and she soon began to excel in her studies. She received her BMus with distinction from the Damascus Higher Institute of Music. Despite her success in music, Cham's artistic passions continued to evolve. She eventually turned her focus towards visual arts, using her knowledge and understanding of music to inform her creative process. She received her BFA, with distinction as well, from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada in 2016.
Cham Chahda's artistic practice is characterised by a commitment to exploring complex themes through a multidisciplinary approach, creating works that are both visually striking and conceptually rich. She works predominantly in the medium of ceramics, but includes mixed media and different materials in her artwork. Her artistic vision is an exploration of the human experience in search of identity, which she expresses through the use of mixed media, language, and the technique of integrating materials with contrasting surfaces. From her perspective, using mixed materials and combining objects of different qualities when producing an artwork, serve as a metaphor for the complexities of cultural identity and the ways in which disparate elements can come together to create something new and powerful.
She participated in many group shows in Montreal including juried shows at Galerie D’este, Art Mur Gallery, VAV Gallery and the Musée des maitres et artisans du Quebec in Montreal. Her artwork was featured in the “Ceramics: Art & participation Magazine” and “The crafted dish” that was lunched for the National Clay Week in Canada.
Cham Chahda currently lives and works in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
CURRICULUM VITAE
EDUCATION
2016 Concordia University, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Major Ceramics.
2009 Academie des arts de la ville de Bruxelles, Certificate in Ceramic Art.
2005 Damascus Higher Institute of Music, Bachelor of Music, Piano Performance.
WORK EXPERIENCE
2020- present, Atelier CHAMÉ, Self-employed art and music teacher, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
2017-2019 Home Studio, Self-employed art and music teacher, Montreal, Canada.
2012- 2017, Atelier Bernard, Teacher of ceramic art, Montreal, Canada.
2005- 2007, The higher institute of music of Damascus, Piano teacher, Damascus, Syria.
2004- 2007, Solhi Alwadi music school, Piano Teacher, Damascus, Syria.
RESIDENCIES
June 2018 at Projet Young- La maison de la Syrie, Montreal, Canada.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2018 Témoins, Projet Young- La maison de la Syrie, Montreal, Canada.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 about A woman IN YOUR FACE, Wilhelminakade 701, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
2019 La Peinture Blanche, Le centre culturel Quebeco-Syrien, Montreal, Canada.
2017 Regards d’artistes de la Syrie, Le Musée des maitres et artisans du Québec, Montreal, Canada.
Doulab: Festival de la maison de la Syrie, Écomusée du fier monde, Montreal, Canada.
2016 Vivre Ensemble, Espace Mushagalusa, Montreal, Canada.
TransFormation, Ceramics Juried Exhibition, The VAV Gallery, Montreal, Canada.
Vitrify, Ceramics Juried Exhibition, Artgang Gallery, Montreal, Canada.
2015 SalonEsque, Group Exhibition, Galerie MAI, Montreal, Canada.
Ignition, Ceramics Juried Exhibition, Galerie D’este, Montreal, Canada.
Melting Point, Ceramics Juried Exhibition, Art Mur gallery, Montreal, Canada.
One piece, Locker Gallery, VA Building Concordia University, Montreal, Canada.
2014 One piece, Locker Gallery, VA Concordia University, Montreal, Canada.
One Night Stand, Ceramics Juried Exhibition, The VAV Gallery, Montreal, Canada.
2013. Still Standing, Ceramics Juried Exhibition, Gallery Entrée Des’Artistes, Montreal, Canada.
100000 Syrians, Installation, Urban Clay Project, EV Building Concordia University, Montreal, Canada.
2009 Group Exhibition, The Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Brussels, Belgium.
PUBLICATIONS
The Crafted Dish, A Canadian Ceramics Cookbook by Carole Epp & NCW.
LA PRESSE+ Arts, De la Syrie a Montreal Sublimer l’horreur de la guerre, Edition of 9 August 2017.
CBC Arts, These tiny porcelain figures capture the horror of war, Jan 20, 2017
Ceramics: Art & Participation Magazine, Edition 2013.