Farwa Moledina and the Date Palm Tree Group

About Farwa Moledina

Farwa Moledina is a Muslim artist of Yemeni-Tanzanian heritage. She was raised in Dubai and currently lives and works in Birmingham. Moledina’s work is inspired by art history, architecture and her own cultural background. She often uses recurring patterns influenced by characteristics of Islamic design: symmetry, abstraction, and recurrence, and delves into themes of faith, family, and the histories of Muslim women. Artworks manifest across textile-based installations suspended in space, framed compositions, or more recently, spaces for reflection inspired by traditional floor seating in Arab and Muslim households. Moledina has exhibited widely in the UK, including at Ikon, Arnolfini, and The New Art Gallery Walsall, and internationally during the Lahore Biennale and at Warehouse421 in Abu Dhabi.

Situated Ecologies

Throughout the summer holidays we will collaborate with Date Palm Tree, a community group of around 250 muslim parents and children based at Bullingdon Community Centre. Artist Farwa Moledina will work with parents and children to realise their collective ideas which prioritise positive perceptions of muslim families and celebrate the universal meaning of Ummah, a supranational community which transcends borders, boundaries and governments. Using recycled materials such as women’s hijabs and culturally significant textiles inspired from each family’s background (countries include Bangladesh, Pakistan, Somalia, and the UK), parents and children will create a series of collective artworks. These will be displayed in Modern Art Oxfords’ new ground floor gallery in November 2024 as part of Farwa Moledina’s exhibition. 

Moledina often uses recurring patterns influenced by characteristics of Islamic design: symmetry, abstraction, and recurrence, and delves into themes of faith, family, and the histories of Muslim women. In this preview of her exhibition, she has woven together children’s drawings to form intricately detailed patterns. These drawings were created by children and families from the with Date Palm Tree, a community group of around 250 muslim parents and children based at Bullingdon Community Centre where Moledina ran workshops as part of the Situated Ecologies off-site programme. Each drawing is based on the story of Maryam and Isa (a.s.)*.

Discover our offsite summer programme, Situated Ecologies.

Modern Art Oxford’s offsite workshops with The Date Palm Tree group are supported by a University of Oxford Community Grant and The Al Tajir Trust.

_{(a.s.) is an abbreviation of the Arabic term alayhis salaam, meaning “peace be upon him/her”. It is used when mentioning the name of a religious personality as a sign of respect.}