Claiming One’s Name: Fathi Hassan (or) Akkij
Hassan: AKKIJ is the title of the solo exhibition by Fathi Hassan (Cairo, 1957), on view at the Richard Saltoun Gallery‘s Rome Rome location from 12 June to 1 August 2025. Situated on Via Margutta, in the heart of the Tridente’s renowned historic and artistic district, the exhibition marks the artist’s long-awaited return to Rome after more than two decades.
Now based in Edinburgh, Fathi Hassan has established an internationally recognised career, particularly since the 2000s, navigating transatlantic and trans-Mediterranean trajectories that span Egypt, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. With a practice spanning over four decades, his work has been extensively documented in theoretical, critical, and curatorial discourses. It has been ‘canonised’ both within the expanding historiography of African and diaspora artists (Eulisse, 2003; Artistes africaines: de 1882 à aujourd’hui, 2021) and within geographical surveys of West Asia (Issa, 2019; Reflections: Contemporary Art of the Middle East and North Africa, 2020). Crucial to the consolidation of this interpretative framework—which is grounded in the artist’s biography and the identity-driven themes that distinctly characterise his practice—are his longstanding collaboration with Iranian curator and gallerist Rose Issa in London and his participation in the group exhibition Textures. World and Symbol in Contemporary African Art (2004) at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C.
The current recognition of Hassan’s artistic trajectory aligns with a broader and necessary dissemination of postcolonial perspectives within the field of art historical studies. These approaches seek to de-centre the traditionally Eurocentric gaze, fostering greater visibility and prominence for Afro-descendant subjectivities—and beyond. In this context, and limiting the scope to figures active within the arts, one must acknowledge the seminal contributions of individuals such as Rasheed Araeen, founder of the journal ‘Third Text’ (1987–), and Okwui Enwezor, whose curatorship of Documenta XI (2002) marked a pivotal moment in contemporary curatorial practice. This trajectory continues today, most recently exemplified by the appointment of Koyo Kouoh—who sadly passed away in May 2025—as the curatorial director of the upcoming 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia (2026).
At Richard Saltoun Gallery, Hassan presents a selection of ten medium-format paintings produced over the past year, displayed alongside a core group of seven historical works dating from the 1980s and 1990s. The exhibition opens with an installation in a single, longitudinal space, where the floor is covered with earth and bamboo, evoking the atmosphere of Nubia and offering a sensorial experience that departs from the sterile neutrality of the white cube. This immersive approach recalls earlier exhibition strategies employed by Hassan, notably in two shows held in Pesaro in the early 2000s (Centro Arti Visive Pescheria, 2000, curated by Achille Bonito Oliva; Benciv Art Gallery, 2004).
Although his stylistic approach has evolved naturally over time, Hassan’s recent works reveal the long process of sedimentation of Nubian motifs and iconography within his visual imagination. In these dense and flamboyant visual palimpsests on paper, one can discern recurring elements: animals native to the Egyptian landscape—such as the crocodile and snake, and previously the elephant and camel; the water jars once used by his grandmother, which inspired the acclaimed Containers series (1993–1997); effigies of saints and warriors, present in his iconographic vocabulary since 1996; and, most notably, the use of Arabic script that mimics Kufic calligraphy—a recurring and defining feature throughout his entire body of work.
Rather, the distinction lies in the overall compositional structure of each painting. The arrangement of elements follows varying patterns: at times horizontal or vertical bands, at others radiating from a central point. Without pauses or punctuation, the iconographic motifs are interlocked, overlapping in a state of mutual con-fusion. There is no single direction of reading, no coherent narrative dimension; instead, the viewer encounters multifocal points of entry and countless possible story beginnings to be imagined: In what universe does that silhouette belong? Are those letters or stones? Is that a procession riding on the back of a crocodile?—and so on. The flatness of the pictorial plane is disrupted by tactile protrusions—fabrics, lace, phosphorescent strings—that extend from the surface to varying degrees, suggesting movement and depth. This effect is further enhanced by the nature of the paper support, which is slightly undulating and does not adhere perfectly to the frame’s backing, producing an almost sculptural quality when viewed from a distance.
In the first section of the exhibition, a sort of “mirrored” dialogue is established between the most recent works, displayed on the right, and the nucleus of historical pieces on the left. What unites them is, above all, the recurring presence of writing, which—as previously noted—represents the primary horizon of Hassan’s artistic experimentation. From the pages of his notebooks and the small-format postcards produced during his formative years at the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples, where he graduated in 1984, Hassan has continually explored the performative potential of writing as gesture. Engaging with the Arabic language—its alphabet, script, and expressive movement—he transforms letters into graphic compositions of pure signification. The identity-driven dimension of Hassan’s practice is thus immediately recognisable in his commitment to preserving and revalorising his cultural heritage, even in contexts—such as Italy in the 1980s—where such expressions were seldom understood or acknowledged.
In addition to writing, a second foundational thread running through Hassan’s oeuvre is the evocation of childhood memories and familial ancestry, deeply marked by the traumatic exodus from Nubia to Cairo and the expropriation of his father’s land in Sudan following the construction of the Aswan Dam beginning in the 1950s.
Within the exhibition, the artist specifically references the matriarchal structure of Nubian tradition, notably through Nonna Monira (1989), which features a photograph of his grandmother portrayed as a tutelary figure, and the video Blessed Nubia (2002), a montage of private footage filmed in the family home in Cairo that captures multiple generations of women engaged in moments of conviviality. The assertion of Nubian identity is made explicit in the very title of the exhibition: AKKIJ, Hassan’s “true” Nubian name.
It is therefore evident how deeply Hassan’s diasporic biography has been intertwined with the thematic concerns of his artistic research since the 1980s. Consequently, the artist represents a significant early case study for tracing genealogies and presences in Europe that we would today classify under the framework of postcolonial studies. In this context, the doctoral research project in Art History at Sapienza University of Rome, undertaken by the author (supervised by Prof. Francesca Gallo) and titled Roma in the Age of Globalization: Diasporas and Cultural Negotiations (1989–2002), aims to examine the artistic landscape of a city historically characterised by its cosmopolitan vocation. The study investigates the city’s response—or lack thereof—to issues of migration and artistic mobility, particularly in relation to the emergence of a globally interconnected art system. It analyses the prominence, critical reception in art journals, and exhibition circulation of artists from the Mediterranean region, who at the time were frequently labelled as “foreigners,” or pejoratively as “non-EU.” The research further explores the degree of openness shown by Italian artists and local institutions toward themes of intercultural dialogue and anti-racism.
The doctoral project engages with the methodological challenges posed by postcolonial (Lombardi-Diop, Romeo 2014) and postmigrant (Ring Petersen 2024) frameworks, alongside intersectional and gendered perspectives, oral history and public history practices, as well as migration history (Colucci 2018). It forms part of a vibrant contemporary scientific and curatorial discourse that explores the city through novel and “other” vantage points. Notable examples include the exhibitions Présences arabes (Paris, 2024), Paris Noir (Paris, 2025), Roma pittrice (Rome, 2024–2025), and Barocco globale (Rome, 2025).
Within the scope of the ongoing research project, the encounter with Hassan constitutes an indispensable chapter. While his international career is well documented among scholars, much remains to be explored regarding his connections to Italy—particularly Naples, where he trained; Venice, where he made his debut with Aperto 88 at the Venice Biennale; Pesaro and Fano, where he has resided for over twenty years; and, most notably, Rome. The artist’s sporadic yet productive residencies in Rome from 1989 through the 2000s warrant further investigation. Among these, his residency at the Academy of Egypt (1989–1991) stands out as a vital nexus for cultural exchange between Egyptian and Italian artists, as well as the sole cultural institution representing a North African country in Italy at the time. Furthermore, in Rome, Hassan began collaborations with Sala 1, under the direction of Mary Angela Schroth—an influential hub for the promotion of African art during the 1990s—and with Pio Monti, an eclectic figure with whom he developed both a professional and personal rapport that bridged galleries in Rome and Macerata.
After nearly two decades away from Rome, Hassan returns with the international Richard Saltoun Gallery and an exhibition that, while focused on his most recent works, invites viewers to draw connections with longstanding imagery and themes—likely resonant with the memories of artists active in Rome during the 1990s. Fathi Hassan chooses to revisit a city dear to him, bringing not only his presence, paintings, and writings but also reclaiming his Nubian identity through the exhibition’s title: AKKIJ.
My name is transparency; my slight being nothing but a question in the void
(Fathi Hassan, Un africano caduto dal cielo, Di Felice Edizioni, Martinsicuro 2014, p. 35)
(Thanks to Fathi Hassan, Prof. Francesca Gallo and the Richard Saltoun Gallery)
Cover image: Fathi Hassan, The Crocodile’s Dream, 2024. Courtesy of Richard Saltoun Gallery London, Rome and New York. Ph. Giorgio Benni