HODA TAWAKOL | WHEN THE DATES TURN RED #10

Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Dubai

Hoda Tawakol (b. 1968) attained a Diploma in Fine Arts at the HfbK (Hochschule für bildende Künste) in Hamburg, Germany (2006-2011). Born in London and raised primarily in Paris, Tawakol is a Franco-Egyptian artist whose broad practice encompasses hand-dyed and sewn textile pieces, mixed media sculptures, fabric collages and installations in addition to works on paper. Her approach to contemporary textile art is deeply rooted in the feminist movement of the 1970s. The artist’s research focuses on traditional ritual practices and imagery associated with the female body. Her work attempts to deconstruct symbols and archetypes that obstruct female agency. Through her aesthetic interventions, Tawakol touches on the boundary between the extreme figuration of personal identities and their dissolution, even to the point of disintegration. Tawakol is interested in relating formal aesthetic concerns to societal issues, especially to those of a gender-specific nature.

The Palm Tree, also called the tree of life, has been used as a symbol for life and eternity in many cultures and religions. It is a very positive tree with nourishing and protective aspects; it offers shade, fruits and wood. Moreover, there are female and male palm trees, which is very rarely the case with plants. In her Palm Tree series, Tawakol explores the female body, motherhood as well as gender fluidity. The background of this piece is a printed grid seemingly regular with over-dimensional fruit protruding outside of the work in bold momentum.

Select solo exhibitions include, Immaculate, Galerie im Marstall, Ahrensburg (2019); When the dates turn red, Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Dubai (2018) and Harem, Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Hamburg, (2011).

Tawakol’s work has been exhibited in numerous institutions and galleries in Germany, including Lothringer 13, Munich (2015); Weserburg Museum of Modern Art, Bremen (2014); RELíGIO – Westfälisches Museum für religiöse Kultur, Telgte (2013) and Ph-Projects gallery, Berlin (2011). Additional international group exhibitions include, Archaea, Beton Art Space, Copenhagen (2014) and the 10th Velada Santa Lucia contemporary art festival, Venezuela (2010).

Her work can be found in the following collections: The Progressive Art Collection, Ohio; Huma Kabakci Collection, Istanbul and London; Sammlung Haus N, Quarnbek; SØR Rusche, Berlin and Sohst-Brennenstuhl, Hamburg.

Tawakol currently lives and works in Hamburg, Germany.