Randa Hijazi is a contemporary Syrian Canadian artist and painter based in Laval, Quebec. Born in Damascus, Syria, she later moved to Dubai before settling in Canada in 2017. She graduated from the Painting Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Damascus, in 2000, and continued her studies at the Faculty of Mass Communication and Science of Media, graduating in 2008. This unique combination of visual arts and media studies helped shape her artistic approach, allowing her to observe the world with the keen eye of a photojournalist while creating deeply expressive artwork.
After arriving in Canada, Hijazi pursued further education and received a diploma in Starting Business from Career Center College Saint Pius X in Montreal in 2019. Her experiences moving between the East and West have been central to her artistic journey, as she explores cultural connections and memories in her work. Her art highlights humanitarian issues like injustice and poverty. She was named Artist of the Year in France in 2024 and won the Golden Medal in Art from Leonardo Da Vinci Gallery in Quebec in 2023. She has exhibited her work in countries such as Dubai, Lebanon, Canada, France, and Syria.
Randa Hijazi’s collection Threads of Humanity delves deep into the intricacies of human relationships and emotions, portrayed through surreal, pencil-on-paper drawings. The title itself hints at the complex weave of experiences that define human connection. These works revolve around the idea that we are bound together by threads—both tangible and intangible—that represent love, trust, vulnerability, and sometimes betrayal.
Each piece within Threads of Humanity is a meditation on how we relate to one another, with symbolic elements like eyes, hands, and threads appearing throughout. These recurring motifs embody the ways we connect—physically and emotionally—while the surreal forms and compositions capture the fluidity and unpredictability of those interactions. The organic and geometric shapes she employs create a visual language that speaks to both harmony and conflict, reflecting how relationships often sway between those states.
The first work in the collection, Eyes that Bind, depicts a man and a woman locked in a silent, swirling dance. The tension in their gaze is palpable; it conveys a deep, unspoken bond. The figures circle one another, but rather than drifting apart, they draw closer, as if their connection is strengthened by every revolution. Hijazi’s use of fine pencil strokes allows the figures to appear as though they’re merging into one another, with the spiral of their dance acting as a metaphor for the emotional gravity that keeps them intertwined. The eyes, as the title suggests, are central—they are the windows through which these two figures express love, vulnerability, and understanding.
Anticipation, the second piece in the series, explores the feeling of waiting and uncertainty. Here, a group of shadowy figures stands together, their gazes all turned toward an unseen horizon. Hijazi captures the tension of the moment before an event unfolds, where hope, fear, and anxiety coexist. The figures are faceless, allowing viewers to project their own experiences of anticipation onto the scene. By leaving much to the imagination, Hijazi invites viewers to consider their relationship with the unknown and the often uneasy emotions that come with it. The intricate crosshatching and shading create a depth to the figures, making the tension in the artwork almost palpable.
The third work, Soulmate, is a representation of a spiritual connection. The two figures at the heart of this piece are not merely interacting—they are becoming one. Their forms twist together in a delicate dance, their eyes meeting in a moment of complete understanding. Unlike the other works in the collection, where conflict or tension often lingers, Soulmate offers a sense of peace and recognition. Hijazi’s subtle, delicate pencil work here conveys a softness in the figures’ embrace, as if they are bound not just by physical attraction but by something far deeper. This drawing evokes a sense of timelessness, where the connection between the figures transcends the present moment.
Across these three pieces, Hijazi demonstrates her ability to capture both the beauty and complexity of human relationships. Her use of pencil on paper is deceptively simple; beneath the surface, her drawings are rich with emotion and meaning. Each line is deliberate, every shadow a reflection of the intricacies of human behavior. Threads of Humanity is not just a series of drawings—it’s an exploration of how we interact with one another, the forces that pull us together or push us apart, and the quiet moments in between that define who we are.
By choosing pencil as her medium, Hijazi emphasizes the raw, intimate nature of these relationships. There is no distraction from color or texture—just the pure, stark representation of human connection. In this way, Threads of Humanity invites viewers to strip away the noise of the world and focus on the delicate, yet profound, ways we relate to one another.
Through this collection, Randa Hijazi continues to offer a compelling perspective on human experience, blending her rich cultural heritage with the universal emotions that unite us all.
