For 1-54 London, Richard Saltoun Gallery presents a survey dedicated to Egyptian artist, Fathi HASSAN (1957-), showcasing paintings from the 1980s until recent years.
Hassan was born in Cairo to Nubian and Egyptian parents. His family were evicted from their Nubian homeland when the Aswan High Dam was built in 1952, flooding a vast area now under Lake Nasser.
He left Egypt in 1979, when he received a grant from the Italian Cultural Institute in Cairo and moved to Naples, Italy. In his early twenties, studying calligraphy in Naples, he was particularly influenced by Kufic and Riqqa inspired schools, which led to the creation of his own personal calligraphic style which he describes as ‘sign-paintings’. Hassan’s unique method of working, repeating single letters, words or sentences to form beautiful yet illegible ‘texts’, appears as a visual representation of the rhythm and sound of the Nubian spoken language. International recognition for his work grew throughout the 1980s and he was one of the first African and Arab artists to be included in the Venice Art Biennale, the 1988 edition, curated by Dan Cameron.
Throughout his career, Hassan has continued to engage with the experience of migration, dislocation, diasporic identity, and shifting notions of heritage. His work was recently included in the 15th Sharjah Biennale (2023). His work is in many museum collections worldwide.
