Kuwaiti artist Hamra Abbas lives between Boston and Lahore. Her research expresses through a myriad of languages spanning photography, sculpture, video and installation. Her oeuvre is deeply imbued with images from the Islamic world that she sharply and ironically reworks. Made of miniature, vivid colors, and repetition of geometric patterns, Abbas turns such aesthetics into a minimalistic outcome. Her fascination with the power of symbols and myths in our society also encourages the artist to create works that question religion, and the notion of tradition and authority.
Hamra Abbas, ‘Objects’ (detail), 2012, printed paper installation, dimensions variable. Image courtesy Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai.
Hamra Abbas, ‘The Piece Might Be Abstract, But its Made of Rubber and Looks Like the Male Organ’, 2012, stained-glass, 90 x 60 cm, 35 3/8 x 23 5/8 in. Image courtesy Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai.
Hamra Abbas, ‘Woman in Black’, 2011, stained-glass window, a set of three panels, 256 x 152 cm, 100 3/4 x 59 7/8 in each. Image courtesy Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai.
Hamra Abbas, ‘Kaaba Picture As a Misprint 1’, 2014, Archival pigment print, Edition of 5 plus 2 artist’s proofs, 137 x 110 cm. Image courtesy Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai.
Hamra Abbas, ‘Kaaba Picture As a Misprint 2’, 2014, Archival pigment print, Edition of 5 plus 2 artist’s proofs, 137 x 110 cm. Image courtesy Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai.
Hamra Abbas, ‘Kaaba Picture As a Misprint 3’, 2014, Archival pigment print, Edition of 5 plus 2 artist’s proofs, 137 x 110 cm. Image courtesy Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai.
Hamra Abbas, ‘Kaaba Picture As a Misprint 4’, 2014, Archival pigment print, Edition of 5 plus 2 artist’s proofs, 137 x 110 cm. Image courtesy Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai.
Hamra Abbas, ‘Kaaba Picture As a Misprint 5’, 2014, Archival pigment print. Image courtesy Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai.
Hamra Abbas, ‘Kaaba Picture As a Misprint 6’, 2014, Archival pigment print, Edition of 5 plus 2 artist’s proofs, 137 x 110 cm. Image courtesy Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai.
Hamra Abbas, ‘Kaaba Pictures 4’, 2013, Archival pigment print, Edition of 5 plus 2 artist’s proofs, 109.9 x 109.7 cm. Image courtesy Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai.
Hamra Abbas, ‘Kaaba Pictures 2’, 2013, Archival pigment print, Edition of 5 plus 2 artist’s proofs, 141 x 94.9 cm. Image courtesy Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai.
Hamra Abbas, ‘Kaaba Pictures 3’, 2013, Archival pigment print, Edition of 5 plus 2 artist’s proofs, 141.6 x 101.6 cm. Image courtesy Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai.