Susan Hefuna

Susan Hefuna (* 1962 ) is a German - Egyptian artist .

Life

Susan Hefuna studied at art academies in Germany and completed her postgraduate training in 1992 at the Institute for New Media at the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main under Peter Weibel . She lives and works in Düsseldorf , Cairo and New York City .

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Susan Hefuna uses various artistic media in her work, such as drawing , photography , sculpture , installation , video and performance . Both her German and her Egyptian heritage are expressed, together with personal experiences, in her multi-layered works that build bridges between cultures and reflect their different traditions and peculiarities. Exploring cross-cultural codes, Hefuna consistently plays with the intention and effect of images in her work by creating abstract spaces and contexts that the viewer can fill with a wide range of meanings. The temporal and local indicators depend on the cultural and social reflections and projections of the respective observer.

A recurring inspiration for Susan Hefuna's work is the Maschrabiyya , a filigree lattice panel or window grille carved from wood or chiseled from stone, as found in traditional Egyptian architecture. This motif first appeared in Hefuna's drawings in layers of tracing paper in 1990 and in her photographs taken with a pinhole camera on the streets of Cairo in 1999. In 2003, she started working with traditional Egyptian artisans to create three-dimensional sculptural grid panels. Hefuna's first solo exhibition in Egypt in 1992 was a key experience. The motif of the Mashrabiya in her abstract photographs was immediately recognized by the Egyptian public. The viewer saw the real essence of her work and not its reflection, while in Germany her work was perceived as purely western-style abstract art. From then on, her work and her working method were increasingly stimulated by this double response. The international recognition of her drawings reached a climax in 2009 at the 53rd Venice Biennale , when around 300 of her multi-layered ink and pencil drawings were shown on tracing paper in the exhibition entitled “Fare Mondi” (“Making the World”) in the Giardini and the Arsenale were.

Hefuna's work has been shown in international exhibitions. The projects are documented in the elaborately designed “Pars Pro Toto” trilogy. The 3 volumes about Susan Hefuna's work were edited by Hans Ulrich Obrist and published by Kehrer Verlag . Other important publications about her work are Susan Hefuna: xcultural codes with a text by Negar Azimi, published by Kehrer Verlag 2004 and Susan Hefuna: navigation xcultural with texts by Tayfun Belgin and Leonard Emmerling, published by Kehrer Verlag 2001. In December 2010, Susan Hefuna's work is the cover story in Art Review , London. The article was written by Mark Rappolt. In December 2010, a text by Bettina Mathes about Susan Hefuna appeared in the magazine Flash Art. From 2010 to 2013 the artist cooperated with the choreographer Luca Veggetti for the project “Notationotations” between drawing and dance. The performance was premiered in September 2013 at the Drawing Center NYC .

The solo exhibition "Susan Hefuna: another place" was curated by Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE 2014 and described in the text by Bettina Mathes in Universe in Universe .

Susan Hefuna lectured at Helwan University ; Goldsmiths, University of London ; Michaelis School of Fine Art , University of Cape Town , South Africa; Zayed University Abu Dhabi, UAE; Stellenbosch University , South Africa; SVA, NYC; and the Hochschule für Gestaltung (HfG) Pforzheim.

Group and solo exhibitions (selection)

2000: Susan Hefuna, Kunstverein Lippstadt, Lippstadt, Germany (solo exhibition)
2000: Susan Hefuna, The Townhouse Gallery, Cairo, Egypt (solo exhibition)
2001: Unpacking Europe, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2003: DisORIENTation, House of World Cultures, Berlin, Germany
2003: Fantasies de l'Harem i Noves Xahrazads, Center de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
2004: Contrepoints, Louvre, Paris, France
2004: Presence of the performative in sculpture, painting, photography, Neue Galerie Graz, Universalmuseum Joanneum, Graz, Austria
2004: Susan Hefuna, Stadtgalerie, Saarbrücken, Germany (solo exhibition)
2004: Susan Hefuna, Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg, Germany (solo exhibition)
2005: Regards des Photographes Arabes Contemporains, Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France
2006: 19 Views - Contemporary Arab Photography, Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo, Seville, Spain
2006: Neterotopia, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France
2008: Youniverse, BIACS3, Bienal Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
2008: Museum as Hub: Antikhana, New Museum, New York, New York, USA
2008: Susan Hefuna, ACAF, Alexandria Contemporary Arts Forum, Alexandria, Egypt (solo exhibition)
2008: Word Into Art, The British Museum, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2009: Taswir - Islamic Imagery and Modernism, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, Germany
2009: Fare Mondi, 53rd Biennale di Venecia, Venice, Italy
2010: Edgware Road @ Cairo 2010/1431, The Townhouse Gallery, Cairo, Egypt (solo exhibition)
2010: On Line: Drawing Through the Twentieth Century, Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York, USA
2010: Vienna 2010/1431, Belvedere, Vienna, Austria (solo exhibition)
2010: Project Europa: Imaging the (Im) Possible, Harn Museum of Art, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida Knowledge is Sweeter Than Honey, MUMOK, Museum Moderne Kunst, Vienna, Austria (single performance)
2010: Susan Hefuna, Bharti Kher, Fred Tomaselli: Between the Worlds, Kunstmuseum Thun
2011: Wunder, Deichtorhallen, Hamburg, Germany Susan Hefuna: Istanbul, Pi Artworks, Istanbul, Turkey (solo exhibition)
2011: Writing and Typography in Contemporary Art, Museum for Printing Art , Leipzig, Germany

2012: Encounter, Katara Arts Center, Doha, Qatar

2012: Systems and Patterns, International Center of Graphic Arts of Ljubljana

2012: Sydney Biennale, Australia

2013: Safar / Voyage, The University of British Columbia, Museum of Anthropology (UBC Museum of Anthropology), Vancouver, Canada

2013: NOTATIONSNOTATIONS, Drawing Center, NYC

2013: Nouvelles Vagues - Champs Elysees, Palais de Tokyo, Paris

2014: Here and elsewhere, The New Museum, NYC

2014: Drawing Room, London

2014: Area Code , Kemper Museum, USA

2015: Common Grounds, Museum Villa Stuck, Munich

2015: Contemporary Art of the middle East, LACMA, LA, USA

2016: Susan Hefuna: CROSSROADS 2002–2016, Pi Artworks Istanbul / London, London, UK

2016: do it بالعربي, Bait Al Shamsi, Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE

2016: Memory and Continuity, Pera Museum, Istanbul, Turkey

2016: Cross-border: Video works by contemporary female artists, Pātaka Art + Museum, New Zealand

2016: But a Storm Is Blowing from Paradise, Guggenheim, New York City, USA

2016: CHERS AMIS, Center Pompidou, Paris, France

2016: ROOM WITH A VIEW | ROOM WITH A VIEW, KEHRER Galerie, Berlin, Germany

2016: Built, World, SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, Georgia, USA

2016: Rhona Hoffman 40 Years, Part 1, Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago, IL, USA

2016: Rhona Hoffman 40 Years, Part 2, Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago, IL, USA

2016: Social Calligraphies, Zachęta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, Poland

2016/2017: Social Calligraphies, Zachęta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, Poland

2016/2017: Sol LeWitt - A tribute, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague, Netherlands

2017: ToGather, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, Great Britain (solo exhibition and performance)

2018: MAPPING STEIN - An intervention in three acts, Stein am Rhein (solo exhibition and performance)

Prices and residence grants

2018 residency grant from the artist residence Chretzeturm , Stein am Rhein
2001/2002 Artist in Residence , Delfina Studios, London, Great Britain
1994: Akademie Schloss Solitude , Stuttgart, Germany
1991: Art Foundation Baden-Württemberg , Germany
1989: Cairo Biennale, Egypt

Literature (selection)

Books, exhibition catalogs

Leonhard Emmerling, Marilyn Martin, Tayfun Belgin: Susan Hefuna: navigation xcultural. Kehrer Verlag, Heidelberg 2000, ISBN 3-933257-34-4 .
Tayfun Belgin (Ed.): Susan Hefuna. Exhibition catalog. Kunstverein Lippstadt, 2000, ISBN 3-9806707-3-2 .
Salah Hassan, Iftikhar Dadi, Leslie A. Adelson : Unpacking Europe: Towards a Critical Reading. Exhibition catalog. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, NAi Publishers, Rotterdam 2001.
DisORIENTation: Contemporary Arab artists from the Middle East. Exhibition catalog. House of World Cultures, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-9808851-2-7 .
Hans Gercke (Ed.): Susan Hefuna: xcultural codes. Kehrer Verlag, Heidelberg 2004, ISBN 3-936636-15-X .
Hans-Ulrich Obrist (Ed.): Susan Hefuna: Pars Pro Toto I. Kehrer Verlag, Heidelberg 2009, ISBN 978-3-939583-76-9 . (english / arabic)
Hans-Ulrich Obrist (Ed.): Susan Hefuna: Pars Pro Toto II. Kehrer Verlag, Heidelberg 2009, ISBN 978-3-86828-055-5 . (english / arabic)
Daniel Birnbaum (Ed.): Making Worlds: 53rd International Art Exhibition: La Biennale di Venezia. Marsilio, Venice 2009, ISBN 978-88-317-9696-5 .
Helen Hirsch et al. a .: Susan Hefuna - Bharti Kher - Fred Tomaselli: Zwischen den Welten / Between The Worlds. Kehrer Verlag, Heidelberg 2010, ISBN 978-3-86828-176-7 .
Susan Hefuna: Mapping Vienna. Exhibition catalog. Gallery Grita Insam, Vienna 2010.
Tayfun Belgin: Susan Hefuna: Istanbul. Exhibition catalog. Pi Artworks Gallery, Istanbul 2011.
Bettina Matthes: Cairo Dreams 2011. Exhibition catalog. The Third Line Gallery, Dubai 2011.

items

Leonhard Emmerling: The Ethics of Being Alien: The Art of Susan Hefuna: The Discreet Charm of Assimilation. In: NKA Journal of Contemporary African Art. Fall / Winter Edition, Duke University Press, 2001.
Tracy Murinik: Susan Hefuna: Celebrate Life. In: NKA Journal of Contemporary African Art. Spring / Summer Edition, Duke University Press, 2001.
Mark Rappolt: Susan Hefuna: Everything is Drawing. In: Art Review. Issue 46, London 2010.
Bettina Mathes: Susan Hefuna: Corporeal Map. In: Flash Art. November / December issue No. 275, Milan
Reinhard Ermen: Susan Hefuna: Drawing at the time. In: Kunstforum International. Issue 208, 2011, Germany
Sarah P. Hanson: Susan Hefuna: An artist pivots between cultures. In: Modern Painters. November edition, New York 2012.

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ Universes in Universe
↑ Susan Hefuna May - July 2018 - artist residency Chretzeturm. Retrieved May 30, 2018 .

personal data
SURNAME	Hefuna, Susan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German-Egyptian artist
DATE OF BIRTH	1962

[1] Universes in Universe

[2] Susan Hefuna May - July 2018 - artist residency Chretzeturm. Retrieved May 30, 2018 .