Salwa Zeidan’s story begins in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, a region shaped by mountains, farmland, and long memory. Growing up there gave her a sense of openness, but it was her travels that widened her view of the world. She moved through different countries, gathering impressions, learning from contrasts, and watching how art takes on new meaning in every culture. Over time, these experiences shaped the foundation of her work. She eventually settled in Abu Dhabi, where she founded a contemporary art gallery that reflects her belief in creative exchange. Her space has become a gathering point for artists across the Middle East—painters looking for visibility, sculptors searching for a platform, young creators trying to find their starting place. Through her dual life as an artist and gallerist, she built a place where ideas circulate freely and artists feel supported rather than overlooked.
Eternal Whirl: Sculpting the Quiet Force of Movement
Zeidan’s Eternal Whirl series began in 2009, sparked by a deep curiosity about spiraling motion carved into marble. What started as an experiment gradually grew into a core part of her artistic identity. She works with black and white marble, letting each type of stone reveal its nature. White marble feels open and bright; black marble holds mystery and depth. Yet the intention remains constant—she carves forms that seem to pulse with their own quiet energy.
She often speaks about marble as if it were a living material. Its curves, rounded edges, and gentle lines create a natural rhythm she finds comforting and inspiring. Spirals emerge from this rhythm. They sweep and circle without interruption, forming shapes that feel continuous and unbroken. To Zeidan, it is as if the stone is already in motion and she is simply guiding it along a path it wants to take.
The spiral is not just a pleasing shape for her—it is the core of the meaning. The twists and loops represent how life moves: forward, backward, inward, outward. Cycles return. Change is unavoidable. Growth is never a straight line. The name Eternal Whirl reflects this sense of constant motion. The sculptures suggest that nothing stays still, even in stone. They hold a quiet reminder that life is always in transition.
As she grew deeper into the series, Zeidan pushed the concept further. She began carving figures from marble blocks while leaving three sides untouched. Only the front surface is shaped. The rest remains raw and rugged. This creates a stark contrast—nature untouched on one side, human intent on the other. The uncarved stone speaks to what is ancient and original. The emerging figure represents human curiosity, imagination, and the impulse to bring form out of chaos.
Black marble amplifies this contrast. The dark surface gives the figure a shadowlike quality, pulling the eye into its depth. Zeidan approaches this process like a discovery rather than an act of force. She digs, listens, shapes, and searches. The figure feels as though it is coming forward on its own. The process becomes a conversation between artist and stone, one shaped by patience and attention.
These sculptures echo the movements of personal journeys—the unexpected turns, the slow unfolding of identity, the layers we keep and the layers we shed. The spirals trace emotional rhythms. The half-formed figures reflect how people grow while still carrying their origins. The works ask viewers to pause and consider the motion beneath the surface of their own lives.
Minimalist Paintings: Space, Quiet, and a Shift in Pace
Beyond sculpture, Zeidan has spent the last twenty years developing a series of minimalist paintings in black and white, with small touches of transparent color. After years of bold and vibrant canvases, she shifted toward reduction. The change wasn’t about taking something away—it was about creating space for calm.
These paintings feel like visual rest stops. Their clean lines and quiet compositions invite stillness. In a world full of noise, screens, and constant movement, her minimalist works offer a kind of breathing room. They don’t demand interpretation. Instead, they create a calm surface where thoughts can settle. Zeidan often describes them as gentle invitations for viewers to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with their own inner rhythm.
The simplicity is deliberate. It leaves room for clarity, and for the viewer’s own emotional landscape to emerge. The paintings are not about telling a story—they are about offering a moment of stillness.
An Artistic Practice Built on Motion and Presence
Whether she is carving spirals into marble or placing black paint beside white, Zeidan’s work revolves around similar ideas—movement, transition, emergence, and the delicate balance between what is shaped and what is left natural. Her art encourages people to pay attention to the cycles within their own lives and to find meaning in both motion and pause.
