Roda Medhat Subverts Traditional Kurdish Narratives Into Modern Tactile Experiences

Toronto-based Kurdish artist Roda Medhat pushes the boundaries of fabric into the realm of sculpture, exploring the ways in which traditional West Asian textiles can be translated into various media. As digital fabrication and 3D scanning cross paths with memory and material, Medhat’s practice asks “how we carry our stories, and what happens when those stories are translated into new, synthetic languages?”

The artist’s new solo exhibition, titled From the Loom, fills Toronto’s Abbozzo Gallery with large-scale sculptures in conversation with a new series of textile works. Known in part for his neon installations, the artist also presents several glowing light-based works encased within glass or acrylic, redolent of patterned Kurdish rugs.

a Jacquard weaving by Roda Medhat depicting a boy holding a circular object — “Def” (2026). Photo by Fraser Carr Moore

Several of Medhat’s images and symbols—most prominently young boys riding horses and interacting with nature—are sourced from Kurdish children’s books. These icons are woven directly into the surface of each textile by way of an electronic Jacquard machine, further accentuating the contrast between preserved cultural objects and contemporary reconstruction. In the exhibition’s statement, Medhat shares that his work “functions as a distillation of a wider body of research,” including the contemporary subversion of archival materials.

“The Sheep and the Chevrolet,” an anchoring work within the exhibition, reimagines François Balsan’s problematic 1947 ethnographic work of the same title. Pitting bucolic Kurdish life with Western modernism, Balsan’s off-key travelogue presented a stereotypical, highly subjective view of Kurdish culture. Medhat’s bold sculpture invokes 3D printing to construct a monumental sheep composedly sitting atop a small Chevrolet vehicle, offering a playful point of reconceptualization.

From the Loom is on view through May 26. You can find more from the artist on Instagram.

a sculpture by Roda Medhat of a pink sheep sitting atop a small Chevrolet car — “The Sheep and the Chevrolet” (2026). Photo by Darren Rigo

a neon sculpture by Roda Medhat depicting patterns reminiscent of traditional Kurdish rugs — Photo by Darren Rigo

a Jacquard weaving by Roda Medhat depicting a boy on a bike playing outside — “Boy, Cat, Bike, Mother” (2026). Photo by Fraser Carr Moore

a Jacquard weaving by Roda Medhat depicting patterns reminiscent of traditional Kurdish rugs — “Jajim 1” (2026). Photo by Fraser Carr Moore

detail of a geometric Jacquard weaving by Roda Medhat — Detail of “Jajim 2” (2026). Photo by Fraser Carr Moore

a neon sculpture by Roda Medhat depicting a boy running — Photo by Darren Rigo

two a neon sculptures by Roda Medhat depicting patterns reminiscent of traditional Kurdish rugs — Photo by Darren Rigo

detail of a Jacquard weaving by Roda Medhat depicting a boy holding a circular object — Detail of “Def” (2026). Photo by Fraser Carr Moore

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