Sara Sallam
Works
Books & Prints
Information
Bio
Sara Sallam (1991) is an Egyptian artist, designer, writer, visual researcher, book maker, and educator based in the Netherlands. She works with photography, film, and writing, often re-appropriating archival material and self-publishing handmade books. Through her work, she reflects on growing up in Egypt, criticising the colonial attitudes embedded in tourism, archaeology, museum practices, and photographic archives that prevent Egyptians from relating to their past and ancestors. Her research-based practice focuses on the retelling of history by imagining counter-narratives and explores narration, fiction, and temporal juxtapositions as ways to reclaim and decolonise her ancient Egyptian heritage.
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Sara Sallam (1991) is an Egyptian artist, designer, writer, visual researcher, book maker, and educator based in the Netherlands. She works with photography, film, and writing, often re-appropriating archival material and self-publishing handmade books. Through her work, she reflects on growing up in Egypt, criticising the colonial attitudes embedded in tourism, archaeology, museum practices, and photographic archives that prevent Egyptians from relating to their past and ancestors. Her research-based practice focuses on the retelling of history by imagining counter-narratives and explores narration, fiction, and temporal juxtapositions as ways to reclaim and decolonise her ancient Egyptian heritage.
She has exhibited internationally, and her work features in private collections in Australia (Museum of Old and New Art), Belgium, and Switzerland. She was awarded grants from Magnum Foundation, Arab Fund for Arts & Culture, the Prince Claus Fund, and Mophradat. Her work was shortlisted for the Lange-Taylor Prize, the Friends of the Arab World Institute Award, Kassel Dummy Award, the Stedelijk Museum’s Art Acquisitions, and the Magnum Foundation Fund.
Sara is represented by Tintera Gallery, and currently teaches photography and social practices at Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam.
I’m on Instagram and Linkedin
I’m reachable via this email
Education2019 M.A. in Film and Photographic Studies (Cum Laude), at Leiden University, NL
Self-Published Monographs2021 A Tourist Handbook: Egypt Outside of Egypt (Second Edition)
Awards | Nominations | Residencies
2023 Upcoming Artist Residency, Villa Empain in Brussels
Grants | Scholarships
2020 Grant from the Prince Claus Fund
2019 M.A. in Film and Photographic Studies (Cum Laude), at Leiden University, NL
2016 M.A. in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography (Distinction), at the London College of Communication, UK
2013 B.A. in Media Design (High Honours), at the German University in Cairo, EG
Self-Published Monographs
2021 A Tourist Handbook: Egypt Outside of Egypt (Second Edition)
2021 Let My Eyes Have a Glimpse of You
2020 A Tourist Handbook: Egypt Outside of Egypt (First Edition)
2020 If I Can Be Heard In The Place Where You Are
2020 At Last, I Hold Your Gaze
Awards | Nominations | Residencies
2023 Upcoming Artist Residency, Villa Empain in Brussels
2022 Artist Residency, Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich
2021 Acquisition, Museum of Old and New Art (MONA)
2019 Shortlist, Stedelijk Museum’s Municipal Art Acquisitions 2020
2019 Shortlist, Magnum Foundation Fund
2018 Nominated, Joop Swart Masterclass
2017 Finalist, Lange-Taylor Prize
2017 Special Mention, The Friends of the Arab World Institute Award
2017 Nominated, Joop Swart Masterclass
2016 Nominated, Plat(t)form Portfolio Review, Fotomuseum Winterthur
2016 Shortlist, Kassel Dummy Award
2016 Shortlist, PhotoIndependent Art Fair
Grants | Scholarships
2020 Grant from the Prince Claus Fund
2017 Mophradat Grant for Artists
2016 Arab Documentary Photography Program, by Magnum Foundation, Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, and Prince Claus Fund
2015 Vice Chancellor’s International Scholarship, University of the Arts London
2012 Excellence Award, The German University in Cairo, covering a summer Photography workshop at Berliner Technische Kunsthochschule
2010 Excellence Award, The German University in Cairo, covering a summer 2D Animation course at Animation-School-Hamburg
2008 Excellence Award, The German University in Cairo, covering a summer German language A2 course at Ludwig Maximilian Universitaet
Exhibitions
2023 Upcoming Exhibition Expedition Egypt, at the Royal Museums of Art & History in Brussels
2023 Upcoming Exhibition Expedition Egypt, at the Royal Museums of Art & History in Brussels
2022 Film Screening at Library Lates: Excavating The Egyptians, at the University of Oxford
2022 Solo Exhibition Through Tutankhamun’s Eyes: Alternative Perspectives on Egyptology, at Museo Egizio in Turin
2022 Group Exhibition An Expression of Absence, at Magnum Foundation
2022 Group Book Exhibition Bound Narratives: a Photobook Library, at Magnum Foundation
2022 Group Exhibition Visions of Ancient Egypt, at Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts
2022 Film Screening at the conference Performing Tutankhamun: One Hundred Years of Retellings, at the University of Birmingham
2021 Group Exhibition Vantage Point 9, at Sharjah Art Foundation
2021 Group Exhibition A Whole Population of Poets, at Sumac Space
2021 Group Exhibition Familiar Faces: Spring Exhibition, at Tintera Gallery, Cairo
2021 Intersect 21, Online Photography Fair with Tintera Gallery
2021 Participation as a Guest Artist at the Open Edition Gallery, invited by Mohamed Somji
2020 Group Exhibition Eternal Light II, curated by Art D’Egypte, at The Factory, Cairo
2020 Photo London, Online Photography Fair with Tintera Gallery
2020 Online Print Sale For The Love of Beirut
2020 Online Print Sale The Female Gaze
2020 Online Print Sale Diversify Photo Covid-19 Relief Print Sale
2019 Group Exhibition The Autumn Exhibition, curated by Tintera Photographic Art Consultancy, at Tintera Gallery, Cairo
2019 Group Exhibition She Tells, curated by Soma Art Gallery, at B’sarya Gallery, Alexandria
2018 Group Exhibition She Tells, curated by Soma Art Gallery, during Cairo Photo Week, Cairo
2018 Group Exhibition Artchaeology: Intersection between Art and Archaeology, curated by International Association of Photography and Theory, at The Nicosia Municipal Art Centre, Nicosia
2018 Solo Exhibition The Fourth Pyramid Belongs to Her, at Darb 1718 Gallery, Cairo
2017 Group Exhibition Humaness, curated by Bertan Selim, at Sexyland, Amsterdam
2017 Photobook presented at Format Festival, Derby
2016 Photobook presented at Offprint London, at Tate Modern, London
2016 Photobook presented at PhotoIndependent Art Fair, Los Angeles
2016 PostGraduate Show In The Forest of Things, University of
the Arts London, London
2014 Group Exhibition Layer of Green, at Contemporary Image Collective, Cairo
2013 Group Exhibition Spuren 2.0 Symposium, at E-Werk, Freiburg
2013 Group Film Screening Cross Culture Video, at Goethe Institute Cairo and Artellewa Gallery, Cairo
Work Experience
2021 (Ongoing) Lecturer at Willem de Kooning Academy, NL
2021 (Ongoing) Lecturer at Willem de Kooning Academy, NL
2020 (Ongoing) Self-Publishing as an Eenmanszaak, NL
2016 Web and Graphic Designer at Alchemy Studio, EG
2011 - 2014 Freelance Designer in Motion Graphics, Graphic, and Web Design, EG
2014 (Nov - Dec) Film Editor at Avonbiehl Studio for Video and Photography, DE
2014 (Apr - Oct) Media Designer at Alchemy Studio, EG
2014 (Feb) Film Editing Intern at Avonbiehl Studio, DE
2011 - 2012 Interface Designer at Nervora Digital Media Group, remotely UAE
2011 (Feb) Design Intern at Nervora Digital Media Group, UAE
2009 - 2013 Junior Teaching Assistant at the German University in Cairo, EG
LanguagesArabic, Mother tongue
Arabic, Mother tongue
Dutch, NT2 Programma II Certificate (Jul 2021), C1 level at Kickstart School (2020)
German, B1.3 level at Ägyptisch Deutsches Kulturzentrum in Kairo (2016)
English, IELTS test score 8 at the British Council Egypt in Cairo (2014)
Spanish, A2.2 level at Instituto Cervantes in Cairo (2013)
French, B1 level at L’Institut Français d’Egypte in Cairo (2010)
Latest Talks (to be updated)
1 Dec 2022 Artist Talk, Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts