About the Artist
Artist Statement
Biology and art have always fascinated me. As a child, I learned that the cell is the smallest unit making up life around us. Each cell relates to other cells through layers, connections, and movements. While biology might seem hard to comprehend, everything operates in harmony. Similarly, art might seem mysterious, yet a closer look reveals the creativity of the human mind.
Given my interest, I decided to pursue studies in biology. I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering in 2007. I enjoyed learning about the intricacy of cellular and neural structure, and networks. Nonetheless, many years later, my passion for art led me to join art school in 2018.
I now create abstract paintings inspired by the unseen world of biology.
In my current artworks I aim to capture the hidden chaos in delicate details to communicate my vision of the real world through biology. My paintings take the form of imagined abstraction of new biospheres that reflect the complexity and connectivity of our lives. The artworks integrate dots, lines, shapes, and vibrant colors into a great complex harmony.
Finally, my paintings allow the spectator to delve into the microscopic world of juxtapositions represented by flat and illusionistic elements. The visual stimulation then triggers the viewer’s curiosity and imagination. Some of my paintings are coupled with three-dimensional representations to bring the sensory experience of the two-dimensional artwork to life.
Artist Biography
Nadia Alkhun is a Wisconsin based interdisciplinary artist. She obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art with a concentration in Painting and Drawing, Summa Cum Laude, from the Peck School of the Arts, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, in 2022. Alkhun grew up in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering from Jordan University of Science and Technology in 2007.
Alkhun exhibited in several national, regional, juried, and invitational exhibitions.
Her artwork was also featured in several publications, mostly medical journals, including Generations, Neurology, and The Permanente Journal. Furthermore, she received UW-Milwaukee scholarships, including Elsa Ulbricht Scholarship, The Greater Milwaukee Foundation Dorothy G. and Ruth M. Smith Fund Scholarship, and Frederick R. Layton Scholarship.
Alkhun's artworks are influenced by biology to communicate her vision of the real world. Her artworks take the form of imagined abstraction of new biospheres that reflect our lives' diversity, complexity, and connectivity. In her paintings, Alkhun captures the unseen, chaotic, and ambiguous details allowing the viewer to experience the freedom of imagination.
Résumé
Education:
2022 Bachelor of Fine Arts. Art – Painting and Drawing | Certificate in Community Arts. Peck School of the Arts, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Milwaukee, WI.
2007 Bachelor of Science. Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering. Jordan University of Science and Technology. Irbid, Jordan.
Publications:
2023 "CORONA_ A TWISTED GUERNICA", Wisconsin Medical Journal (WMJ),Posted in Lessons Learned From the Pandemic, Volume 122, issue 5.
2021 “Growing Together,” GENERATIONS, Volume 1 (Featured on Journal cover)
2018 “The Unseen but Felt,” Neurology, Volume 90 (Featured on Journal Cover)
2018 “Balloons of Hope,” The Permanente Journal. Volume 22
2016 “Hallucinations,” The Permanente Journal. Volume 20
Media Appearances:
TMJ4 NEWS
Fann American Muslim Creativity Unleashed
Exhibitions:
2024 Wisconsin Artists Biennial Juried Art Exhibition, MOWA-Museum Of Wisconsin Art, West Bend.
2024 Humanities in Medicine, The Froedtert and Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI.
2023 78th Art Annual Juried Exhibition, The Neville Public Museum, Green Bay, WI.
2023 PROSPECTUS, 48th Juried Annual Exhibition, The Miller Art Museum, Sturgeon Bay, WI.
2023 Humanities in Medicine, The Froedtert and Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI.
2023 Annual Members Show, Walkers Point Art Center, Milwaukee, WI.
2023 Islamic Inspired, juried group art exhibition, NAdiaNA Art Gallery, Milwaukee, WI.
2023 Black & White, juried group art exhibit, NAdiaNA Art Gallery, Milwaukee, WI.
2023 Surroundings, juried group art exhibit, NAdiaNA Art Gallery, Milwaukee, WI.
2023 Layers of Biospheres, solo art exhibit, NAdiaNA Art Gallery, Milwaukee, WI.
2023 ROE 2.0 juried virtual group art exhibition, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL.
2022 The Further We Reach, The Closer We See, juried exhibition, Milwaukee Artist Resource Network, Milwaukee, WI
2022 Woven Images 2022, group exhibition, Kenilworth Square East 3rd Floor Gallery, UW – Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
2022 ABSTRACTION + SPACE Exhibition, Invitational group exhibition, Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, Milwaukee, WI
2022 Bachelor of Fine Arts Capstone Exhibition, Kenilworth Square East Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
2021 Makers!21, Annual Juried Student Exhibition. UW – Milwaukee. Milwaukee, WI. Online Exhibition
2021 Crossing Over Exhibition, Invitational group exhibition, Arts Center Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
2020 Crossing Over Exhibition, Invitational group exhibition, Union Art Gallery, UW – Milwaukee, online Exhibition
2020 SYNERGY, Juried Art Show, Kenilworth Square East Gallery, Milwaukee WI
2020 HERE to STAY, Juried Art Exhibition, Union Art Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
2019 Crossing Over Exhibition, Invitational group exhibition, Union Art Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
2019 First Year Experience Exhibition, Union Art Gallery, Milwaukee WI
2019 Featured artist. First Multiple Sclerosis Patient Education Day. Medical College of WI, Milwaukee, WI
2017-2020 Featured artist. The 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th Annual Music and Medicine Conference. Cincinnati, OH
2017 Featured artist, POP REVOLUTION Gallery, Mason, OH. For the month April
2016-2017 Participated in various group exhibition curated by The Red Door Project, Cincinati, OH.
2016 Beyond a Theme, Follow a Dream, Solo Art Exhibition, 506 Ash Street Gallery, Elsmere, KY
2016 SALI National Juried Abstract Art Exhibition XII. The Garfield Park Art Center, Indianapolis, IN
2015 Survivor: Journey of Courage & Healing. 3rd Annual Juried Art Show. University of Cincinnati Women’s Center, OH
2014 Well-Being. 2nd Annual Juried Art Show. University of Cincinnati Women’s Center, OH
Awards and Honors:
2023 Second place Award, 78th Art Annual Juried Exhibition, The Neville Public Museum, Green Bay, WI.
2023 Board Member at the Milwaukee Muslim Women's Coalition, WI.
2022 COMMENCEMENT HONORS, with a GPA of 4, UW – Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
2022 Member of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi by the election of the Chapter at UW-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
2021 Elsa Ulbrich Scholarship, UW – Milwaukee. Milwaukee, WI
2020 Greater Milwaukee Foundation Dorothy G. and Ruth M. Smith Fund Scholarship, UW – Milwaukee. Milwaukee, WI
2019 Greater Milwaukee Foundation Dorothy G. and Ruth M. Smith Fund Scholarship, UW – Milwaukee. Milwaukee, WI
2019 Frederick R. Layton Scholarship, UW – Milwaukee. Milwaukee, WI
2018-2022 Named to the Dean’s Honor List, UW – Milwaukee. Milwaukee, WI
2000 Honorable Diploma. Talent in Painting. The Romanian Ambassador to Jordan (Sir Vasile Softineti), Amman, Jordan
1998 Silver Medal for painting (12-13 age group), Shankar’s International Children’s Competition, New Delhi, India