Fathi Hassan

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Born in Cairo in 1957 to Nubian and Egyptian parents, Fathi Hassan is a distinguished artist whose work delves into themes of language, identity, and cultural memory. His family was displaced from their Nubian homeland due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam in 1952, an experience that profoundly influences his artistic narrative. 

Hassan's oeuvre encompasses photographs, paintings, installations, and drawings, often featuring deliberately illegible texts. This approach highlights the erosion of languages and oral histories resulting from colonialism. His invented scripts, inspired by Kufic calligraphy, explore the intersection of graphic symbolism and literal meaning, frequently incorporating organic forms such as human faces, plants, and celestial bodies. 

In his early twenties, Hassan received a grant to study at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Naples, Italy, graduating in 1984. He has since lived and worked between Italy and the United Kingdom, settling in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2018. 

Hassan's work has been exhibited internationally, including at the 1988 Venice Biennale. His pieces are part of permanent collections at institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum in London, as well as the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C. 

Through his art, Fathi Hassan continues to engage audiences in conversations about heritage, displacement, and the resilience of cultural identity.