Hagar Ezzeldin

Visual Artist /Researcher

Biography

Hagar Ezzeldin is an Egyptian artist based in Cairo. Her work encompasses painting, installation, printmaking, artist books, performance, and video.

Her work critically approaches representations of the everyday, delving into the aesthetics of the middle class. She employs art as a tool to critically examine and challenge conventional representations of everyday life. Notably, her M.A. project, on Women's Visual Representations in Modern and contemporary Egyptian Art, focused on the ways in which women's experiences are narrated and imagined through various visual mediums, including video art, painting, magazine covers, and illustrations this analysis extends over a timeline from nineteenth-century Orientalist canvases to contemporary art practices by Egyptian women artists in public sphere.

Ezzeldin's work has been exhibited at the 44th General Exhibition in Cairo, Egypt; Kunstverein Braunschweig, Germany; Contemporary Image Collective in Cairo, Egypt; and The Museum of Fine Arts, Alexandria, Egypt. It has also been included in "Emergency Index Vol.9" (Ugly Duckling presse/ New York).

Additionally, she has participated in the BS projects residency program at HBK Braunschweig, Germany (2022-2023), and the 5th International Visual Methods conference: Visualizing the City at Singapore Institute of Technology (2017).

Education:

[2014-2017]: M.A. on the visual representations of women in modern and contemporary Egyptian art, Faculty of Applied Arts, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt.

[2016]: Anthropology and art/ Winter semester, The American University, Cairo, Egypt.

[2004-2009]: Decoration Dep./Bachelor, Faculty of Applied Arts, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt.

Selected exhibitions:

[2024] The 44th General Exhibition, Mahmoud Moukhtar Museum, Cairo, Egypt.

[2024] Annual Editions, Kunstverein Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.

[2023] Cleaving The Wind Into Fragments, HBK Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.

[2022] Retrieving Absence, The Contemporary Image Collective ‘CIC’, Cairo, Egypt.

[2021] Rosnama 8 Exhibition, The Contemporary Image Collective ‘CIC’ and Medrar For Contemporary Arts, Cairo, Egypt.

[2019] Domestic Fantasy (1) performance, Museum of Fine Arts, Alexandria, Egypt.

[2019] Studio Rosnama 8 , Medrar For Contemporary Arts, Cairo, Egypt.

[2017] ‘Whole World’ video screening, Videoart. ist video art festival Turkey.

[2017] Thesis Exhibition, Faculty of applied arts-Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt.

[2016] Mohamed Abla Award for Painting Exhibition, Greek Campus AUC, Cairo, Egypt. [2014] Youth Salon, Mahmoud Mokhtar Museum, Cairo, Egypt.

[2014] The 25th Youth Salon, Mahmoud Mokhtar Museum, Cairo,Egypt.

[2012] L’recontres de l'image Festival, The French Cultural Institute, Cairo, Egypt.

[2012] Self Portrait Project, Rawabet theatre, Cairo.Egypt.

Fellowships and Residencies:

[2024] Studio El-Takhshina, Goethe Institute, Cairo, Egypt.

[2022-2023]. BS-Projects, HBK Braunschweig/Germany, Braunschweig, Germany.

[2020] The Institutional Collapse, Artists For Artists Masterclass ‘AFA’, Online, International.

[2019] Roznama 7 Studio program, Medrar For Contemporary Arts, Cairo, Egypt.

Selected Publication and press:

[English]

Zoe Guttenplan, Emergency index Vol.9, New York: Ugly Duckling, 2020.

Alaa Kouddos Allah, “Middle-Class homes reimagined in new fair” in The Egyptian Gazette (2022).

Ismail Fayed, “ Roznama 8: Art At The End Of The World” in Mada Masr (2021).

[Arabic]

Ali Al Adawy, Rusted Radishes Magazine, consulted on 17th April 2024.

Nahla Hegaji, TV interview at ‘Maspero’ The Egyptian National TV and Radio Station, consulted on September, 2023.

Medrar TV, Documentation of Retrieving Absence Exhibition (2022), consulted onFebruary, 2023.

Yasser Sultan, “٣فنانات يستحضرن وجوها مصرية نسوية بفن الكولاج” in Independent Arabia consulted on July, 2022.

Al Araby, “استحضار الغياب..خيا لات في آلبوم اللاوعي واستعادة لدرية شفيق” in Al Araby, consulted on July, 2022.

Hussein El Hajj, “أنماط مختلفة من التذكر في استحضار الغياب” in Mada Masr, consulted on July, .2022

Nadia Abdelhalim, “استحضار الغياب، في القاهرة يستعيد مقتطفات من جماليات الماضي” in Ashraq Al-awsat, consulted on June 2022.

Professional contributions :

[2019-2021]: Qaaf Laam collective, Member/Researcher, Collective work, Cairo, Egypt.

• ‘Why Do We Form Collectives?’, a writing essay and discussion roundtable moderated by QL collective and hosted at CIC, Cairo as part of ‘Co-Rooms: Notes on Collaboratation’ Curated by Engy Mohsen and edited by Mai El Wakil. 2021.

• Conducting an online Radio program on Radio Al Hara,inviting several Arab cultural producers reaching wider audiences, art collectives,and institutions across the Arab regionacross the region (2020).

• A Recorded group discussion on the theme of "Working from Home", published by Mada Masr website, 2020.

• invited by "Chat rooms" group to an open discussion that was hosted by "Artist at Work" Exhibition through Khalil El Sakakini website (Ramallah/ Palestine). 2020.

[2018]: Researcher/ Presenting a research, Tawsheesh Festival and workshop, Cairo, Egypt.

[2017]: Researcher/ Presenting a research, The 5th visual methods: visualizing the city conference, Online, Singapore.

[2015- present]: Commercial artist, worked with many leading interior design companies and showrooms in Egypt. integrating fine art with design concepts and styles, with a particular focus on the design history of ornaments associated with traditional folkloric, coptic and islamic cultures.