Shifting Sands, an extraordinary art exhibition, is the result of a unique collaboration between the esteemed artist Fathi Hassan and The Sunderland Collection. This exhibition at the inaugural event of The Sunderland Collection Art Programme, a platform dedicated to presenting contemporary artworks, offers a rare privilege. It allows you to delve into the unique blend of contemporary art in dialogue with antique world map atlases and celestial maps from the collection, fostering an unparalleled artistic dialogue that is sure to intrigue and captivate.

Exploring Fathi Hassan’s Artistic Journey

At Frieze No.9 Cork Street Gallery 3, the Shifting Sands exhibition (open until June 15th) invites you on a comprehensive journey through Fathi Hassan’s diverse artistic practice. This exhibition is not just a display of artworks but a captivating fusion of historical and contemporary works by the artist, some of which were directly inspired by specific maps from The Sunderland Collection.

Shifting Sands installation shot, courtesy of the Sunderland Collection, credit Kristof Jeney

This diverse selection underscores Fathi Hassan’s enduring fascination with mapping the cultural and territorial encounters that shape his lifelong diasporic artistic practices. It promises an intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking experience, igniting curiosity and excitement for all art enthusiasts. Be prepared to be intrigued by Fathi Hassan’s work’s intellectual depth and artistic brilliance.

Fathi Hassan: A Life Shaped by Cultural Encounters

Born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1957, Fathi Hassan‘s artistic journey is a testament to the transformative power of cultural encounters and personal resilience. His work has been exhibited and collected globally and is a testament to his enduring influence in the art world. Hailing from a Nubian family that was displaced after the construction of the Aswan High Dam, he grew up in the cosmopolitan environment of the capital, where he was exposed to a rich mix of Western and Eastern literature, cinema, and visual art.

Shifting Sands installation shot, courtesy of the Sunderland Collection, credit Kristof Jeney

His studies at the Fine Art Academy in Naples and his subsequent 35 years in Italy further enriched his artistic perspective. Now based in Scotland, his work continues to mirror his diverse cultural influences, inspiring art enthusiasts and collectors worldwide. The Shifting Sands exhibition showcases his unique blend of traditional Nubian elements with contemporary artistic techniques, offering a fresh perspective on cultural encounters and territorial shifts.

The Intersection of Maps and Artistic Expression

Maps can be a means of encounters where geographical and political barriers also tell a broader story of correlation and affinity rather than relating histories of divisions and sharpening differences.

Through his artistic practice, Fathi Hassan creates a space of shapes that edge on one another, cross, and overlay, losing their original characters and becoming something new with multiple and hybrid characteristics. In this sense, Fathi Hassan’s work carries an inherent topographic quality, where his ever-present Nubian elements encounter Arabic and Western references, moulding a highly personal visual language.

The Intellectual Depth of Fathi Hassan’s Work

The artist’s glance at the world has focused on reasoning through borders, as his exuberant imagination emerged through the intersection and overlap of imagery, materials, and techniques, as evident in the exhibition. In the series Trailblazers, the lines and shapes of maps reveal the faces of artists influential in Hassan’s artistic upbringing.

Shifting Sands installation shot, courtesy of the Sunderland Collection, credit Kristof Jeney

Moving beyond temporal and geographical confinements, the artist imagines a convergence of multiple disciplines, promoting mutual exchange and transcending any exclusive dimension of belonging. Similarly, Hassan’s signature large paintings are tapestries filled with visual motifs and textures adapted from his multilayered cultural identity.

The curved, unreadable signs that expand throughout the composition overlay with layers of fabrics are simultaneously dividing and connecting the work in rhythmic compositions. Observant viewers will find small figures appearing, crossing the surface of the painting and unlocking a multitude of narratives.

The Exquisite Detail of Hassan’s Smaller Works

Fathi Hassan is an authentic diaspora artist in continuous transhumance, and the exhibition also presents a set of small-sized exquisite works in pencil and ink that the artist completed during his train journeys through Europe. In these minutely detailed artworks, the artist’s high craftsmanship and attention to detail emerge in all their splendour. The figures of individuals, animals, text, and maps intertwine in highly innovative compositions that expand to the context of the other displayed works in unexpected ways.

Fathi Hassan, Trailblazers (set of nine), 2023, mixed media on paper, 21×29.5cm each, courtesy of the Sunderland Collection, credit Kristof Jeney

Shifting Sands: A Vibrant Start for The Sunderland Collection Art Programme

In conclusion, The Sunderland Collection could not kickstart its art programme more intensely and vivaciously. Shifting Sands is a very engaging exhibition that sheds light upon the life and work of Fathi Hassan, a master of contemporary art appealing to specialised curators and international collectors while remaining accessible to the general public and art lovers.

About Fathi Hassan

Fathi Hassan is a contemporary artist born in Egypt and is represented by Richard Saltoun Gallery. Please visit here for more information about the artist’s forthcoming projects.

About The Sunderland Collection

The Sunderland Collection is a private collection of rare antique world and celestial maps. Please visit here for more information about the collection and its art programme.

About Giovanni Agostinelli

Giovanni Agostinelli is an art historian, curator, and writer specialising in global modern and contemporary art focused on the nexus between Africa and Europe.