Artist Randa Haddadin is known for creating works of art on her own skin. At just 34 years old, the U.A.E. resident has worked with brands such as Makeup Forever, YSL Beauty, Dior, Armani, Vacheron Constantin and has most recently been the star of a Vogue article. With a non-toxic ink pen, body paint, various makeup products and her own body as a canvas, Haddadin has created countless pieces of body art, which she posts to her Instagram account once completed. It seems that Haddadin’s work has been met with a positive response from wide audiences reaching over 162 thousand followers on the platform.
According to Vogue writer Laird Borrelli-Persson, Haddadin describes the entire process of creating art on the skin as being “simply therapeutic.” Surprisingly, Haddadin appreciates how the body art is temporary: “This allows me to focus only on the process of creating itself; the lines, the feeling of the pens on my skin in that moment, without having to worry about the drawing later on, preserve it or sell it, like the regular artworks.” It seems that Haddadin does not enjoy the process of dealing with a work once it is created and prefers to wash her pieces away. She states “the comfort of this temporariness allows me a lot of room to create without worry. She went on to say, “the only thing I do to preserve a memory of this skin artwork is snap a photo and share it with others.”
Haddadin initially planned a different career for herself while in college: “I went for architecture as it was the closest field to the arts; [pursuing a degree in art] wasn’t an option where I come from back then.” Her education as an architect assisted her in getting a better sense of her own style, which she has described as “practical.” Haddadin’s work features a relatively neutral color pallet with an occasional pop of color. Blacks, whites, beiges, blues and reds seem to be her favorite to work with, as the majority of her pieces feature these colors. Of her background’s impact on her work, she says “in the end, we [architects] are also designers.”
In her Instagram bio, Haddadin describes herself as an “Architect” and a “Part-time astronaut.” Haddadin explains that “part-time astronaut is more of a metaphor of the worlds I travel to through my imagination, like an astronaut. The whole idea of what happens beyond our planet also fascinates me, so maybe it’s wishful thinking for what I could become in my next life!” Her interest in travel seems to have inspired some of her pieces which feature architecture from cities such as New York City, Moscow, London, Paris and more.
Not all of Haddadin’s artwork is done on skin, rather the artist has worked in many mediums, including on toilet paper. Haddadin has described herself as “a moody and emotional artist” and her work as being “light yet intense.” Haddadin’s biggest hope is that her artwork “makes you smile and think every now and then.”
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