Hamza Bounoua (b. 1979) is an Algerian visual artist, whose multidsciplinary practice negiotiates between his Islamic, Arabic heritage and contemporary aesthetics of rep-resentation. Bounoua definines his artistic practice as critque – a self critque – of tradition, often chosing calligraphy as his main subject; stretching and defying the technical and narrative conventions of the the original form – in a direct act of reformatting symbol into object.

In his continuous search for simplicity in form and materials, Bounoua transmutes symbol and space through a fascinating discection of matter, resulting in an amalgamation of natural elements with the his distinct cultural identity. His compositions often feature the thick, organic textures of the brush, sometimes resembling dance, while at other times, acting as a direct unflinching narrative.

Hamza Bounoua studied at the Fine Art Institute in Algeria, drawning his inspiration from Islamic, Arab and African art. His work has been showcased extensively in solo and group exhibitions in Bahrain, Kuwait, Algeria, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Lebanon and Qatar; also in New York, Canada, Bosnia, Brazil and the United Kingdom. Bounoua’s work has been on display at Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art MAMA in Algeria and was the recipient of the 2006 Mohammed AbdelmohsenAl-Kharafi Prize for Modern and Contemporary Arab Art in Kuwait and the Ecume Prize of the French Cultural Group.