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Mona Hatoum

Mona Hatoum was born into a Palestinian family in Beirut and has lived and worked in London since 1975. Her sculpture, video, drawings, and installations have been widely exhibited throughout the world. In her work, Hatoum has been consistently passionate about the body and its mechanics. Her seminal 1994 piece, Le Corps Etranger, is a video installation consisting of images collected by cameras inserted into the various orifices of her own body. This work earned her a nomination for the prestigious Turner Prize the following year.


Hatoum recalls that she first viewed images of Western art in the back of her dictionary as a child. Although she drew incessantly, her father forbade her from studying art and encouraged her decision to study graphic design instead. After a number of years in an advertising career, Hatoum finally chose to pursue her dream of studying art in London in the 1970s. Since then, she has doggedly produced the poignant video, performance, and sculptural projects that have established her place in contemporary art.

Born 1952
Hometown Beirut, Lebanon
Lives and Works London, England
Education
Beirut University College, Lebanon, 1972
The Byam Shaw School of Art, London, England, 1979
The Slade School of Art, London, England, 1981
Permanent Collection

The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA
Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA
Tate Modern, London, England
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC
The National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland
Kunsthaus, Zurich, Switzerland
Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo, Norway
Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France

Representing Galleries

Alexander and Bonin, New York, NY
White Cube, London, England
Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris, France
Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin Germany
Galleria Continua, San Gimignano, Italy

SHOWS

Drawing Room

London
May 03 2024 - Jul 03 2024

Drawing Biennial 2024

Praz-Delavallade

Paris
Dec 01 2018 - Jan 19 2019

Terres De Feemes

PRAZ-DELAVALLADE

Paris
Dec 01 2018 - Jan 12 2019

WOMEN’S LAND - TERRES DE FEMMES

Tate Modern

London
May 04 2016 - Aug 21 2016

Mona Hatoum
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Articles

113 Artists on the Cutting-Edge of Textile Art
113 Artists on the Cutting-Edge of Textile Art

Here’s a first exclusive look at the 113 fiber artists included in Phaidon's highly anticipated compendium 'Vitamin T: Threads and Textiles in Contemporary Art.'

How Did Feminist Art Begin? A Brief History
How Did Feminist Art Begin? A Brief History

These pioneers formed collectives, staged exhibitions in unlikely places, or simply made work about their own lived experience without apology, fear, or regret.

Nicolas Bourriard Interviews Lucy Orta
Nicolas Bourriard Interviews Lucy Orta

The "Relational Aesthetics" artist discusses the importance of breaking out of the art world to engage with society in a politically useful way.

Mona Hatoum on Art as Resistance
Mona Hatoum on Art as Resistance

In this excerpt from Phaidon's Mona Hatoum, Michael Archer interviews the political multi-media artist on her approach to aesthetic agitation.

9 Artists to Watch This May
9 Artists to Watch This May

From a superhero of American art who is dropping five megaton artworks on Chelsea to a new photographer making his debut at one of the city's most exciting galleries, these are the artists to watch this month.

"A Shock to the System": Mona Hatoum's Minimalism
"A Shock to the System": Mona Hatoum's Minimalism

The curator discusses her first experience with Hatoum's glowing installation "The Light At The End."

Artists to Watch This September
Artists to Watch This September

From playful master of the macabre to an irreverent pillager of cartoon history, these are the artists everyone will be talking about this month.

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