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.

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

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

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

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)