Hamza Bounoua – Born in 1979, Bounoua is an Algerian visual artist who studied at the Fine Art Institute in Algeria. He practices multidisciplinary art, blending his Islamic, and Arabic heritage with contemporary aesthetics. He often chooses Arabic calligraphy as his main subject, stretching and challenging the traditional techniques and narratives of the original form in his work to transform symbols into objects.
His works have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in Bahrain, Kuwait, Algeria, the UAE, Jordan, Lebanon, and Qatar, as well as in New York, Canada, Bosnia, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. His works have been acquired by several prominent galleries and museums, including the Museum of Dafen for Contemporary Art in 2020, and the Algiers Museum of Modern Art, where he had a special solo exhibition for its opening in 2008 at the request of the Algerian Minister of Culture.
Bounoua has received important awards in Kuwait, Algeria, France, and Belgium. For his achievements in Arabic calligraphy, he was awarded “Mohammed Abdulmohsen Al-Kharafi Prize for Modern and Contemporary Arab Art,” Kuwait 2006; “Ecume Prize,” from the French Cultural Group. He was honored as a jury member for “Sharjah International Art Calligraphy Festival,” UAE 2016; organized “International Arab Gathering for Fine Art,” Doha 2018. He also founded “Diwaniya Art Gallery,” Algiers 2020 and organized group exhibitions for prominent and emerging Arab artists in 2021 and 2022. He currently works as Curator of the International Festival of Contemporary Art “IFCA” in Algeria
