Stephanie Eti Hadad - mixed media artist working from her studio in Miami, FL
Updated: Nov 23, 2022
Miami, Florida / United States
Stephanie, you are the first generation Israeli-American born in Philadelphia. How did your identity and culture influence your work?
My parents and their ancestors are Tunisian, Libyan and Israeli. I was raised in a primitive environment, the men are providers, the women raise children and do housework. I was raised predominantly taught the ladder. My works are an echo of what was drilled into my life from childhood through adulthood, the burden to preserve, but in the end, also reveal a joy.
Could you please tell us all about your journey into the art world (brief bio/backstory)?
I started my professional career around 2011, earning my fine arts degree years later with a minor in art history. I consider myself a sculptor today.
You work in a wide range of media. What is your most favorite art form?
When I am able to create a piece that delivers a direct message I find it so satisfying, no matter the art form.
What was the most exciting moment in your art career so far?
My most exciting moment is having my own studio, a space to work away from home. Having an unconditional creative personal space is a luxury. Being a new mom has limited my creative time but the brain keeps producing so when I have a chance to get in the studio I usually know exactly what I'm going to create.
What or who inspires you the most?
The time spent with my mother and grandmother as a child is a big piece of where all my thoughts for my works originate from. Being number 5 of 6 children my grandmother played a large role in raising me, therefore, having a lot of influence on what I do.
What's the message behind your art?
Being a daughter, a wife, and a new mother, the subject I base my works plays with the conscious ideas my position holds within this role and is continuously being redefined by my experiences. Each piece corresponds with the others, creating a narrative for women, who especially now, are starting to get the recognition they deserve.
What does your art do for you?
All my works stem from a deeply rooted place within my being. Rather than an escape, it's a moment to face and express my reality.
What are your dreams, plans and goals?
My dreams have evolved through my many life stages. To answer this question today, my dream is to continue expressing myself and hang out with my daughter while doing so, if she takes a liking to it.
What is your advice to artists at the beginning of their art career?
Continue working, and don't overthink what you do (it's advice I need to take myself). Find the time within motherhood and your creative self to keep going.
