Hossam Dirar, 1978 | Abstract Mixed Media painter

Hossam Dirar was born and raised in Cairo, a city whose rich heritage has been a huge inspiration.
Education:
BA Fine Art, Faculty of Applied Arts, Helwan University, 1995-2000;
Graduated with honours, and won best Graduation project amongst all entries.
Major studies: Graphic Design, Painting, Printmaking, and Mixed Media.
Minor Studies: Product Design, Photography, Multimedia, Textiles and Ceramics.
He is a graduate of Helwan University where he received the highest marks of his year for his graduation project. A multi-disciplinary artist working across painting, photography, installation, video and graphic design.

Dirar conceives his work as a re-interpretation of Egypt’s rich visual heritage, overlapping between the multi-cultural character of Cairo, the city’s complex and ever expanding urban façade, the region’s traditional iconography and the influence of contemporary media in shaping cultural referents.
Through his work he tries to bring to life the beauty of traditional images in a 21st-century way, combining fragmented images of women with an intense, chaotic and multi-layered palette. It’s like decoupage meets graffiti.
Perhaps the invisible that the artist is chasing in his work is the phantom idea of beauty mixed with the criteria of the future/past, trying to continue the tradition of personifying time.