HER works describe current affairs and she deals with critical issues with her lines and colours. Although her works are ambiguous, they are also very emotive. Egyptian artist Reem Hassan, who is exhibiting her works in Mashrabia Art Gallery in Cairo, is an unusual artist, whose brush paints many connected feelings on canvas. "My works are abstract, but in this exhibition I have tried to deal with the surface in the paintings, not their depth," explains Hassan, who works as an assistant professor in the Faculty of Fine Arts at Alexandria University. She has chosen not to give her latest exhibition a name, arguing that this would only give one idea, while her photos contain many ideas. "I used to give my exhibitions names, but for this one I found myself painting spontaneously and decided not to give it a name," says the artist, who was born in 1971 and lives and works in Alexandria. "I feel the need to be free in this latest exhibition." In 2004, the artist obtained a PhD in philosophy of arts from the Alexandria University. Three years previously, she had been awarded a Master's in fine arts by the same academic institution. Her works are modern and contemporary, which is why they could be interpreted in many ways. "I think that my painting is like music; there is no medium to understand it but rather you can feel it," she comments. One of her paintings contains a man-like shape and it could be a Pharaoh. "I didn't intend him to look Pharaonic, but when he turned out like that I was delighted and fascinated by him and tried to give the painting another meaning," Hassan adds. The colour black in her paintings is essential, as it gives every painting a new message. "I'm just like anyone else. I notice what's happening around me and it's normal to get depressed. I try to express what's happening in world using the colour black," she told The Egyptian Gazette in an interview. The artist is a busy bee, as she's also a member of the board of the Atelier of Alexandria and a member of the board of the ‘DWAYER' group for artistic and cultural dialogue in Alexandria. Reem Hassan's exhibition is being held at the Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art, 8, Champollion St., downtown (02/2578-4494). The exhibition runs until March 18 and is open daily from 11am to 8pm, except on Fridays.
