Sundus Abdul Hadi is an Iraqi-Canadian multimedia artist and writer. Born in the United Arab Emirates, she was raised and educated in Montreal, where she earned a BFA in Studio Arts and Art History and a Masters in Media Studies. Her work critically engages the concepts of care, community and struggle. Her artistic practice is a subversive and sensitive reflection on war, trauma and representation, using manipulated photographic imagery, mixed-media painting, artist books and sound. She is the author-illustrator of Shams, an illustrated book about trauma, transformation and healing (We are the Medium, 2020). Complimenting her studio practice, Abdul Hadi curates exhibitions as artist-curator, most recently with the research-creation exhibit project featured in her book of the same name, Take Care of Your Self. She is the cofounder of We Are The Medium, a global multidisciplinary artist collective, publishing house, and cultural hub.
Her work has been exhibited in Palestine, UAE, Canada, USA, France, New Zealand and the UK. She has given workshops in Australia, Iraq and Kuwait, and has been a speaker at Nuqat, the Nobel Peace Prize Forum, the Aga Khan Museum (Toronto), Telfair Museum (Savannah GA), NYU New York, and multiple universities in Canada and the US. Abdul Hadi is a two time recipient of the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Quebec (CALQ) Vivacite grant, and received the Makers Muse award from Kindle Project (2018). Her work is part of the Barjeel Art Foundation collection.