Fathi Hassan
Encyclopedia
Fathi Hassan (born 10 May 1957) is an Egypt
ian-born artist known for his installations
involving the written word. He lives and works in Italy.
ese and his mother Fatma was from Toshka in southern Egypt. He studied art as a teenager at Cairo's Kerabia Middle School where he was taught by the sculptor Ghaleb Khater.
. The owner of the library suggested that he present himself as a commercial artist to the Ministry of Culture in Baghdad
. The Ministry offered him a job and he moved to Baghdad in 1977. He worked for the Ministry for a year which included a project with Iraqi artist Kazim Haidar at the National Stadium in Baghdad involving children performing as card-turners raising 100x70 cm cards to produce animated paintings.
In 1979, he received a grant from the Italian Cultural Institute in Cairo and moved to Italy. He enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts, Naples in 1980 to study set design having found that the painting course was full. He graduated in 1984 with a thesis on the influence of African art in Cubism. While he was studying and in the year after graduating, Hassan also worked as an actor and set designer at RAI
(Radiotelevisione Italianaworks} in Naples. In 1986, he moved to Pesaro
.
Hassan received recognition from the Ministry of Culture (Egypt)
in 1989, and he was the first artist to be selected to represent Africa
at the "Aperto '88" section of the Venice Biennale
. He has exhibited in numerous galleries in Italy
, Belgium
, Denmark
, Germany
, France
, Egypt, and United States
.
Hassan's work often emphasizes power relations and the relationship between the oral and written word; drawing upon his Nubian heritage, he places particular emphasis on the loss of language under the dominance of empire
. Most of his scripts are based upon kufic
calligraphy
, but remain deliberately illegible and impossible to decipher. In his video Blessed Nubia the original language of the Egyptian region Nubia was analyzed.
Hassan has lived and worked in Italy since graduating in 1984, dividing his time between Milan
and Fano
.
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian-born artist known for his installations
Installation art
Installation art describes an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called Land art; however, the boundaries between...
involving the written word. He lives and works in Italy.
Childhood
Hassan was born in Cairo in 1957 as the second son to a Nubian family. His father Hassan was SudanSudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese and his mother Fatma was from Toshka in southern Egypt. He studied art as a teenager at Cairo's Kerabia Middle School where he was taught by the sculptor Ghaleb Khater.
Career
In 1976, Hassan worked for some months in a library in IraqIraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. The owner of the library suggested that he present himself as a commercial artist to the Ministry of Culture in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. The Ministry offered him a job and he moved to Baghdad in 1977. He worked for the Ministry for a year which included a project with Iraqi artist Kazim Haidar at the National Stadium in Baghdad involving children performing as card-turners raising 100x70 cm cards to produce animated paintings.
In 1979, he received a grant from the Italian Cultural Institute in Cairo and moved to Italy. He enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts, Naples in 1980 to study set design having found that the painting course was full. He graduated in 1984 with a thesis on the influence of African art in Cubism. While he was studying and in the year after graduating, Hassan also worked as an actor and set designer at RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
(Radiotelevisione Italianaworks} in Naples. In 1986, he moved to Pesaro
Pesaro
Pesaro is a town and comune in the Italian region of the Marche, capital of the Pesaro e Urbino province, on the Adriatic. According to the 2007 census, its population was 92,206....
.
Hassan received recognition from the Ministry of Culture (Egypt)
Ministry of Culture (Egypt)
The Ministry of Culture of Egypt is a ministry responsible for maintaining and promoting the culture of Egypt. The current Minister is Dr. Emad Badr El-Din Mahmoud Abu Ghazy.-Critics:...
in 1989, and he was the first artist to be selected to represent Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
at the "Aperto '88" section of the Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
. He has exhibited in numerous galleries in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Egypt, and United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Hassan's work often emphasizes power relations and the relationship between the oral and written word; drawing upon his Nubian heritage, he places particular emphasis on the loss of language under the dominance of empire
Empire
The term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
. Most of his scripts are based upon kufic
Kufic
Kufic is the oldest calligraphic form of the various Arabic scripts and consists of a modified form of the old Nabataean script. Its name is derived from the city of Kufa, Iraq, although it was known in Mesopotamia at least 100 years before the foundation of Kufa. At the time of the emergence of...
calligraphy
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
, but remain deliberately illegible and impossible to decipher. In his video Blessed Nubia the original language of the Egyptian region Nubia was analyzed.
Hassan has lived and worked in Italy since graduating in 1984, dividing his time between Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
and Fano
Fano
Fano is a town and comune of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort 12 km southeast of Pesaro, located where the Via Flaminia reaches the Adriatic Sea...
.