Notes

Hammam's practice is based in photography, evolving recently towards a more hand-marked treatment of the overall composition of the work. Along with photos taken and manipulated, these works from the series Aaru are a new direction in Hammam's practice whereby the artist has utilized imagery from pop culture, references to other iconic art works and personal childhood images to discuss a deep exploration of the places one goes both physically and in a sense spiritually throughout life. Handwritten notes on the work, both in English and Arabic, highlight the artist's expansive thinking across cultures, various schools of philosophy, and spoken and visual language. Close readings and focused viewing of the works prompt the viewer to personally and individually decipher the many messages and streams of thought inherent in each work.

Nermine Hammam is an Egyptian photo artist living and working between Cairo and London. She received her BFA in filmmaking from the Tisch School of Arts, New York University, after which she worked with Simon and Goodman Picture Company and Egyptian film director Youssef Chahine. Hammam is a photographer who digitally manipulates the images that she takes to create layered works that investigate one’s perception of reality. Amongst others, she is influenced by photographer Diane Arbus and Tarkovsky, a Russian filmmaker, and likewise captures individuals who are masking fragility and vulnerability. The works in Hammam’s series often reference her background in filmmaking as her images read like the stills of a film – creating a continuous narrative.

Hammam’s work has been widely exhibited and is included in private and public collections such as Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; and Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Horcynus Orca (MACHO), Messina, Italy. In 2022, she showed her solo exhibition Aaru at Tintera Gallery, Cairo.

Provenance

Tintera Photographic Art Consultancy, Cairo, 2023.