Reem Hassan

Reem Hassan is an award-winning Egyptian artist and professor who was born in Alexandria. Today she lives and work between her home city and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

Hassan gained a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Distinction from the Painting Department at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Alexandria University in 1994. She then obtained her Master’s in Fine Arts in 2001, followed by her PhD in Philosophy of Art in 2004 from the same institution.

Hassan embarked on her artistic journey in 1990, and, over the decades, has worked across the fields of visual arts, from painting and sculpture to conceptual visual representation, including groundbreaking performance art.

In her practice she sets out to find a balance between academic theory and personal artistic creation, merging scholarly research with experimental visual exploration. “I strive to merge academic practice with personal artistic experience, maintaining a dynamic balance between theory and creation,” she has explained. 

Hassan established herself as a groundbreaking figure in Egyptian performance art with her notable 1994 performance titled ‘The Creative Mind within Ready-Made Frameworks’.

Recently, she has compiled an extensive collection of works created over the years, which reflects a continuous evolution of her practice in both visual language and conceptual approach. “Far from being a series of isolated works, these pieces mark significant milestones in a personal and creative journey -one that navigates the intricate interplay between human experience, memory, and the shifting dynamics of contemporary life,” she explained.

This collection showcases the various distinct stylistic approaches that define her artistic practice. It includes abstract compositions revealing geometric, interwoven motifs in bold colours that convey a sense of dynamic rhythm. Others, meanwhile, are more psychologically driven, featuring dense lines and interplays between masses and voids, using colour combinations to convey dualities of hope and anxiety. 

Several of Hassan’s works also reveal the influence of Islamic art, with elements presenting themselves through interlaced forms resembling modern expressive ornamentation. Nature is a key source of inspiration, explored in works that blend abstraction with organic perspective, completed in a transparent, subdued palette. Her floral compositions, in particular, demonstrate intricate detailing influenced by miniature painting traditions.

Hassan has undertaken several artist residency programmes. These include residencies at Greatmore Studios, Cape Town (2004), Rotterdam Art Studios, the Netherlands (1997) and the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (1993). 

Her work is held in prestigious public and private collections worldwide, including those of the Museum of Modern Art at Cairo Opera House, the Museum of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Alexandria University, Burj Khalifa, Dubai and HRH Princess Adhwaa bint Yazid.

Hassan has exhibited her work extensively in solo exhibitions, including, most recently: ‘An Imagined Otherworld’, L’Art Pur, Riyadh (2022); ‘Carnival of Ornamentation’, Atelier Jeddah (2020); ‘From the Book of Flowers’, Capital Gallery, Cairo (2019); ‘Color Hymns’, Capital Gallery, Cairo (2017); Inter Art Gallery, Aiud, Romania (2012); Mashrabia Gallery, Cairo (2010); and Goethe Institute, Alexandria (2006).

She has also participated in numerous high-profile group exhibitions, including most recently: ‘Collect’, JAX District, Riyadh (2025); ‘Story in the Making’, Ahlam Gallery, Riyadh (2025); ‘Egyptian Creativity’, Roshan Gallery, Jeddah (2022); International Mail Art Exhibition, Inter Art Foundation, Romania (2018); The Mail Art Exhibition, United Nations Hall, New York (2013); ‘Art and Freedom Beyond Borders’, European Parliament, Belgium (2013); Arab Spring Exhibition of Arab Women’s Creativity, Forsite Art Gallery, Amman (2012); Contemporary Egyptian Art Exhibition, London (2009); Salon d’Automne, Paris (2008); 9th Cairo International Biennale, Cairo (2005); and 8th Cairo International Biennale, Cairo (2001).

Hassan has received several prestigious awards including the Special Award at the 8th Cairo International Biennale (2001) and the Jury Prize at the 19th Alexandria Biennale for Mediterranean Countries (1997). Beyond her artistic practice, she serves as secretary-general of the Society of Artists and Writers at Atelier Alexandria and has held various leadership roles in cultural management.

Hassan has concurrently had a distinguished academic career. Since 2019, she has currently held the position of professor at the College of Design and Arts, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, having previously served as associate professor at Alexandria University’s Faculty of Fine Arts.