hoda tAwakol

Hoda Tawakol

About the Artist

Hoda Tawakol (b. 1986, London) lives and works in Hamburg, Germany. She obtained her diploma in fine arts at the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg. Ideas of movement, cultural exchange and fluidity are core to her work, inspired by her own experiences of living between Germany and France.

Tawakol’s practice embraces mediums such as collage, sculpture and installation to address questions of gender, the body, politics and identity.

The artist describes herself as having been raised by ‘three mothers’: her grandmother, her birth mother and her nanny.

Through her work, she attempts to challenge preconceived notions of femininity and female agency. By extending the role of the aesthetic into political and social spheres, she uses it to inquire into contemporary issues.

Hoda Towakol in her studio

Courtesy the artist and Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde

WORKS IN THE COLLECTION

Hoda Tawakol, "Under the Shade of a Palm Tree #3", 2018

Hoda Tawakol, "Under the Shade of a Palm Tree #3", 2018

Acrylic, inkjet print on paper cut-out, 80 × 71 cm

Courtesy the artist and Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde

In Under the Shade of a Palm Tree #3 (2018), Tawakol demonstrates her remarkable skill with paper. She constructs an intricate, three-dimensional surface. Her palm tree, although heavily suggestive of the exoticism and warm climates often associated with the Middle East, is not indigenous to the region, thus alluding to the tropes associated with Middle Eastern culture and creating a picture-postcard illusion.

Hoda Tawakol, "Pyramid #1", 2020

Hoda Tawakol, "Pyramid #1", 2020

Fabric, ink, thread, 31.5 × 31.5 cm

Courtesy the artist and Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde

Pyramid #1 (2020), created from fabric, ink and thread, shows another aspect of Tawakol’s visual language. Her choice of materials evokes craft, the labour of women and the roles they have been limited to, socially and politically, but also within the art world. The composition hints at a pattern or larger image, inviting the viewer to imagine beyond what is to what could be.

Hoda Tawakol, "Nude with Eyes #2", 2020

Hoda Tawakol, "Nude with Eyes #2", 2020

Watercolour, china ink on paper, 48 × 36 cm

Courtesy the artist and Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde

Nude with Eyes #2 and#3 (2020) engage with notions of perception and identity, particularly when submitted to the female gaze. The eyes are multiplied and seem to be ever-growing, subjecting the viewer to a kaleidoscopic vision. In their bulging forms, they peer out from the canvas, almost as if they wish to insert themselves in the real world. The motif is well known to the Middle East, where the ‘evil eye’ protects the bearer from the gaze of envious eyes. These two evocative works highlight Tawakol’s ability to convey complex experiences through fragmented images.

Hoda Tawakol, "Nude with Eyes #3", 2020

Hoda Tawakol, "Nude with Eyes #3", 2020

Watercolour, china ink on paper, 48 × 36 cm

Courtesy the artist and Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde

Pyramid #1 (2020), created from fabric, ink and thread, shows another aspect of Tawakol’s visual language. Her choice of materials evokes craft, the labour of women and the roles they have been limited to, socially and politically, but also within the art world. The composition hints at a pattern or larger image, inviting the viewer to imagine beyond what is to what could be.