Hani Zurob is a contemporary Palestinian artist based in Paris, France, since 2006. His work delves into the global complexities of identity, place, and memory, particularly focusing on themes of suspension, delay, waiting, exile, movement, displacement, absence, and resistance.
Zurob’s art draws from personal memories and stories that have shaped his life, intertwining with the broader events in Palestine, the region, and global issues, resonating with complex political and cultural dimensions. Through his work, Zurob seeks to refine his understanding of the effects of deconstructing the relationship between the past and present, both on himself and others, aiming to create artworks that speak a universal language, transcending borders and geography.
Hani Zurob employs various media to serve his concepts, sometimes using mediums that convey a state of being, as seen in his works with “Zeft” i.e Tar
Zurob has gained notable recognition, internationally and at home, and has won several international awards and residencies, including Bourse et Prix Renoir in 2009, as well as named one of ten ‘international artists to watch’ in 2013 by The Huffington Post. In 2002, he was selected to participate in the AM Qattan Foundation’s Young Artist of the Year Award.
His art have been exhibited worldwide, his most recent solo exhibition entitled ” elixir of Memory” was held at the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Art (JNGFA); a collaborative exhibition between the JNGFA and Artzotic, in April 2024. Furthermore his works are held in numerous prominent international Institutional as well as private collections including: The British Museum in London, England, The Arab American National Museum (AANM) in Dearborn, Michigan; Williamsburg Art & Historical Center (WAH Center) in New York, USA; the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts in Amman, the Moderna Galerija/Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova (MG+MSUM) in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA) in Paris, France; Association Renoir in France; Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, France; Mairie de Paris in Paris, France; Hotel de Ville in Paris, France; Barjeel Art Foundation in Sharjah, UAE; Dar El Nimer for Arts and Culture, Beirut, Lebanon; Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation (DAF) in Beirut, Lebanon; A. M. Qattan Foundation in London- UK and Ramallah- Palestine and Birzeit University Museum in Birzeit, Palestine.
A monograph tracing the development of his work, “Between Exits: Paintings By Hani Zurob” by Kamal Boullata, with an introduction by Jean Fisher, was published by Black Dog Publishing in London, UK in November 2012.
“Hani’s practice provides an important voice in contemporary Palestinian culture, as well as a significant contribution to the creation of an Arab aesthetic. Ultimately though, while Zurob’s art gives powerful expression to the Palestinian collective experience, it can also be seen in the context of more Universal themes of personal identity and embraces humanity beyond the Palestinian context”.
– Black Dog Publishing, London, UK, 2012
Zurob has received several international awards and residencies, including the Bourse et Prix Renoir 2009, and was named one of ten ‘international artists to watch’ in 2013 by The Huffington Post. In 2002, he was selected to participate in the AM Qattan Foundation’s Young Artist of the Year Award.
Zurob was born in Gaza’s Rafah Camp, later moved to Nablus, Palestine, where he received a BA in Fine Arts in 1994. Zurob moved to Ramallah, Palestine, from 2001 to 2006, when he received a grant that allowed him to reside in Paris at the Cité Internationale des Arts, and he has been living in Paris ever since.
