Collection: Nour Elbasuni

Nour Elbasuni is a multi-disciplinary artist who works with themes surrounding gender politics, cultural perceptions, representation, spiritual philosophy, and the human condition. Her most recent series explore, and question, the orientalist legacies while proposing an alternative narrative to gender role representation.

Nour Elbasuni’s artistic practice is influenced by her research on visual culture and psychology that informs her creative approach. She draws inspiration from different painting traditions and various forms of symbolism to create visually soothing imagery which compliments her conceptual processes.

Nour Elbasuni, by Lara Arafeh

Envisioning a world that speaks to the needs and aspirations of Arab society, Nour Elbasuni proposes a perspective that is both delicate and a challenge to the status quo. Born and raised in a society that reinforces patriarchal gender roles and conflates masculinity with dominance, Nour observes her community and depicts emotive narratives to propose a collective cultural healing. The history of social dynamics in the Arab world is crucial in understanding the complexities faced today in our societies. At the forefront of the feminist movement in the region, artists and creatives have been using their practice for activism and protest. Feminism in art has evolved from the 1960s like Ingi Efflatoun to the more recent new wave that emerged with the Arab Uprisings and furthermore through social media. Responding to the aggressive and unfair treatment of women, artists from younger generations, like Nour, present a crucial reflection of the changes needed for growth and healing.

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Baba, Oil on Canvas, 2022.

Born in Qatar in the mid-90s to Egyptian parents, Nour Elbasuni used the culturally diverse environment in Qatar to immerse herself in various expressions of culture and heritage, eventually using it as an essential part of her artworks.

Nour graduated with a degree in Fine arts majoring in Painting and Printmaking and Minoring in Art History from VCUarts Qatar and is currently a Juris Doctor student in the College of Law at Hamad Bin Khalifa University.

CV

Voyager I, Oil on Canvas, 2020