Rania Hammoud

Rania Hammoud (Atoui) is a Lebanese artist, interior architect and gallerist who was born and raised in Beirut.

Hammoud studied at the Lebanese University’s Institute of Fine Arts, gaining a Master’s degree in Interior Architecture in 1993. Hammoud worked as an interior architect until 2014, before opening her Graphics Art studio in Ashrafieh, Lebanon. The studio provides a broad range of printmaking services, including silkscreen and etching, which Hammoud studied and gained expertise in herself at advanced workshops in Europe, including a number attended in the Netherlands. It also offers art classes, workshops and a hub where artists can come together to exchange ideas, create and collaborate. 

Rania Hammoud added another dimension to her work in 2017, when she opened a gallery in Gemmayzeh, named the Art Scene, to showcase the work of contemporary Middle Eastern artists. The gallery’s exhibits are wide ranging, encompassing paintings, sculptures and cutting-edge furniture. 

Educating people about art is also one of Hammoud’s passions, so much so that she has a reading corner at the gallery, well stocked with publications, and is always happy to answer questions on anything art related. “A gallery is not a mere business,” she commented in a media interview. “It is a place where one can learn about art.” 

Rania Hammoud often creates her works in a delightful combination of acrylic and silkscreen, which gives them a delicate, nostalgic and wistful feel, or mixed media on canvas.

Her ‘Corniche’ series is a particular talking point, having been inspired by the cross-section of people she has met over time during her habitual walks along Beirut’s famous promenade.

Sunset is clearly a favoured time of the day for Hammoud, with the velvet blue sky, honeycombed-stoned buildings and paving slabs, and palm trees edging the seaside, providing a picturesque setting for key works. 

In these and other pieces, people from Beirut and elsewhere are captured and juxtaposed, going about their lives, which clearly involve very different routines. The seemingly random way in which these figures, who range from joggers to sellers with fruit and bread carts, fishermen and others dozing on a bench, highlights the diversity of the people who frequent the Corniche, the shared location being, for many, the sole unifying factor among them. It also provides a fascinating snapshot of city life in what is an especially popular spot in Beirut for all kinds of activities, from strolling and sunbathing to napping or earning a living.

Rania Hammoud’s works have featured in key exhibitions in Lebanon, including: ‘Imprints of a City’, Artspace Gallery, Beirut (2017); American University of Beirut, Beirut (2016); and Graphic Arts Studio, Beirut (2016).