Salwa Zeidan was born in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, a place where open landscapes and layered histories quietly shape the imagination. Her early life was defined by motion—traveling widely, absorbing different cultures, and learning how art shifts from one region to another. Those experiences gradually formed the foundation of her creative language. Eventually, she settled in Abu Dhabi, where she built a contemporary art gallery that reflects her commitment to the cultural life of the Middle East. The gallery serves as both a space of exchange and a launchpad for artists across the region. It welcomes painters, sculptors, photographers, and young creators looking for a foothold. Through her work as both artist and gallerist, Zeidan has created a small but important hub where ideas move freely and creative voices can be seen, heard, and supported.
Eternal Whirl: The Sculptural Language of Motion
Zeidan’s sculptural series Eternal Whirl began in 2009, rooted in a fascination with spiraling movement carved into marble. Over the years, the concept has become one of her signatures. She works with both black and white marble, allowing each type of stone to guide her through its own temperament—white marble with its quiet brightness, black marble with its depth and gravity. What ties them together is her commitment to carving forms that feel alive, as if the stone itself is in quiet motion.
She often describes her attraction to marble as a relationship with something organic. The rounded surfaces, the soft lines, the flowing edges—they all create a sense of balance she returns to again and again. The spiral becomes a natural extension of this material. It sweeps, curves, and circles without sharp interruptions, creating a feeling of continuity. When she speaks about the work, she often says the marble “wants to move,” and she simply follows that energy.
The spiraling motion is the heart of the work. It’s not decorative to her—it’s conceptual. The twist, the turn, the seamless loop are metaphors for constant change. The Eternal Whirl refers to cycles that repeat through life: growth, loss, renewal, discovery. The sculpted marble becomes a physical reminder that nothing is ever fixed. Everything is shifting, even when the form seems still. This is part of why the works carry such a quiet strength. They embody motion without actually moving.
As her relationship with the series deepened, Zeidan began exploring how figures could emerge from stone while still preserving the stone’s primal identity. She started leaving three sides of the marble untouched. Only the front is carved. This creates a tension between the rough exterior and the sculpted form that rises gently from it. The contrast is intentional—nature on one side, human intervention on the other. The stone in its raw state represents what is ancient, untouched, and enduring. The carved figure stands for the human impulse to shape, refine, and communicate.
Working in black marble intensifies this contrast, giving the emerging figure an almost shadowlike presence. The dark color pulls the eye inward, raising questions about depth, identity, and what remains hidden beneath the surface. Zeidan treats this process almost like an excavation. She finds the figure rather than imposes it. The work becomes an encounter between artist and stone, a dialogue with something that has existed far longer than she has.
Her sculptural practice is deeply connected to themes of transition—ups and downs, pauses, breakthroughs, and the unexpected turns in personal journeys. The spirals echo these rhythms, and the half-carved figures mirror the way people evolve while still carrying parts of their past. The works invite the viewer to slow down, to consider the constant movement beneath life’s surface, and to acknowledge that nothing is ever fully complete.
Minimalist Paintings: A Shift Toward Stillness
Alongside sculpture, Zeidan has spent the last two decades developing a body of minimalist paintings in black and white, occasionally bordered with faint transparent color. After years of creating vivid, bold canvases, she found herself pulled toward simplicity. The shift wasn’t about reducing meaning—it was about clearing space.
These minimalist works function almost like visual breathing rooms. They offer quiet, uncluttered compositions that draw the viewer into a slower rhythm. In a world filled with noise, motion, and constant demands, the paintings feel like an exhale. Their pared-down forms carry the weight of decades of experience. Instead of telling a story, they create room for reflection.
Zeidan often describes these works as invitations. They encourage people to pause, look inward, and notice their own thoughts, feelings, and reactions. The simplicity is deliberate; it allows clarity. It gives space for calm.
A Practice Rooted in Movement and Meaning
Across both sculpture and painting, Zeidan’s work circles the same ideas—continuity, change, emergence, and the tension between what is shaped and what is left untouched. Whether carving spirals into marble or creating minimalist surfaces, she is always exploring the quiet but persistent motion that defines life.
Her art invites reflection. It asks viewers to pay attention to the cycles within their own experience and to find beauty in movement, stillness, and everything in between.
