Sundus Abdul-Hadi

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Sundus Abdul-Hadi is an independent Iraqi-Canadian multimedia artist, writer and curator. She is also the founder of Maktaba Bookshop, and the co-founder of We Are The Medium. She is known for her work on care, trauma, and representation, working with a variety of media from visual arts, the written word, and space-making.
Biography
Born to Iraqi parents in the UAE, Abdul-Hadi immigrated to Montreal during her childhood. Having been immersed in the arts from a young age, she pursued a BFA in Studio Arts and Art History, followed by an MA in Media Studies at Concordia University.
Career
Sundus Abdul Hadi has authored two books, Shams, a children’s book about trauma and survival, and Take Care of Your Self: The Art and Cultures of Care and Liberation. Her essays have been published by Jadaliyya., Sea Foundation, Herizons Magazine, Kalimat Magazine and self-published, as well. Abdul Hadi has been an exhibiting artist since 2006, showing her artwork internationally. Most recently, her practice involves cultivating and curating the concept bookshop she founded in the Old Port of Montreal, Maktaba Bookshop
Throughout her career, Abdul-Hadi has taught in different institutions, and led various workshops. In 2010, she was invited to be a “distance teacher” with Sada (Echo), facilitating a month-long workshop with youth in Baghdad. This experience helped her develop workshops around art and social justice, fostering a growing, connected community. In 2020, she led a seminar on Care with Dar Yusuf Nasri Jacir for Art and Research, in Bethlehem, Palestine. She has also taught in the Communications Studies department at Concordia University in Montreal.
Books
“Take Care of Your Self: The Art and Cultures of Care and Liberation”
In her book Take Care of Your Self: The Art and Cultures of Care and Liberation, artist Sundus Abdul Hadi redefines self-care as a vital community practice essential to building a just society. Challenging the commodification of self-care, she frames it as a necessary act rooted in personal, communal, and global healing—central to decolonization, empowerment, and liberation. Abdul Hadi explores how art fosters regenerative narratives to confront systemic oppression and trauma, highlighting the work of transcultural artists who intertwine care with resistance. By centering marginalized voices and creating brave spaces for their stories, she reveals the transformative power of care in shaping a world in urgent need of healing. The book was published in 2020 by Common Notions Press.
Shams
“Shams” is a children’s book about trauma, care and survival written and illustrated by Sundus Abdul Hadi. It was published in English in 2020 by We Are The Medium, and in Arabic by Tamer Institute for Community Education, in Palestine. Abdul Hadi has also performed a multi-media storytelling of “Shams” at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto and NYU Kevorkian Center in New York City.
Essays
Iraq is Healing The October Revolution, Systemic Change and Intergenerational Trauma
Abdul Hadi wrote the widely-read essay “Iraq is Healing” during the 2019 October Revolution in Iraq.
Intuition as Creative Force
This essay was commissioned by Sea Foundation in Tilburg for their fold On Spirit.
Artworks
"Warchestra" (2007-2010) is a mixed media series blending painting and sound, exploring war and culture while challenging Western representation of Iraq during and after the 2003 Iraq War. Abdul-Hadi reimagines violent portrayals of Iraq by incorporating cultural elements into the backdrop of war, replacing images of militants holding weapons with musicians playing instruments. A full-length album titled Warchestra, created in collaboration with Narcy (Yassin Alsalman) and various artists, is part of the project.
The Flight Series (2010-2015) combines digital manipulation, painting, and Arabic calligraphy to depict flying figures over Arab cities, created alongside her sister, photographer Tamara Abdul Hadi. This work explores violence, survival, and identity, symbolizing healing and empowerment in the context of conflict and displacement.
Inanna in Damascus (2008) powerfully addresses the forced prostitution of young Iraqi refugee girls, critiquing both Western misrepresentations of the Arab world and internal regional issues. The artwork, highlighting Iraq’s vulnerability in war, was misrepresented in Arabic media and censored from the exhibit Le Corps Découvert at the Institut du Monde Arabe.
The New Sumerians (2019-ongoing) is an evolving project that explores ancestry and displacement by reimagining contemporary Iraqis as Ancient Sumerians. In collaboration with photographer Ahmad Naser Eldein, Abdul-Hadi manipulates portraits with sculpted facial and body features inspired by Sumerian art, beginning with a self-portrait wearing the 5,000-year-old mask of “The Lady of Uruk.”
Artist Collectives and Spaces
Maktaba Bookshop
An artist-run bookstore and cultural space in Montreal's Old Port, founded by Abdul-Hadi and Yassin Alsalman in 2022. Maktaba focuses on Middle Eastern and North African cultural representation, offering a safe space for BIPOC communities. Abdul Hadi describes Maktaba as an art project and “an extension of home”. Maktaba has also popped up in different locations as an installation project, in KOTN in Toronto, Pique in Ottawa and as reading rooms at le Fonderie Darling and Montreal, arts interculturels.
We Are the Medium
A global interdisciplinary collective founded in 2013 by Abdul-Hadi and Alsalman. It focuses on marginalized voices through art, storytelling, publishing, and education, reshaping narratives through collaborative projects across various media.
Take Care of Your Self
Sundus curated the exhibit and series of events titled Take Care of Your Self in Montreal in 2017. It was her research-creation project during her MA in Media Studies, which was an exploration of care as a political and community-centered act. Featuring 27 artists of color, it emphasizes healing and empowerment in the face of trauma and displacement. The project evolved into a book of the same name.

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