Through letters: Hamza Bounoua

“Through letters” is an exhibition that highlights the use of letters in design of  Hamza bounoua’s art, Bounoua aims to create a universal visual language, drawing inspiration from a medley of cultural traditions, including the art of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, African tribal masks, totemic figures, graffiti, and East Asian and Arabic penmanship. The textual motifs rendered in his work do not adhere to formal rules, vigorous markings and large letters are contrasted with tiny signs carefully arranged in horizontal and vertical lines. His colour palette includes opaque shades of red, yellow, blue and lilac, ochre and earthy tones, as well as monochrome compositions with hints of vivid colour.

Although the script he uses is not exclusively derived from the Arabic language – he also uses Latin text, cuneiform, Arabic numerals, and illegible markings.