Souad Abdelrassoul

Souad Abdelrassoul's practice spans painting, drawing, sculpture and graphic design. Working between the abstract and figurative, Abdelrassoul delves deep into the human experience, transcending conventional boundaries to offer a profound exploration of empowerment, self-discovery, and the intricate interplay between the human body and mind. Reflecting on her own lived experiences as a mother and a woman, she uses her paintings to describe and embody different emotions, drawing attention to the ways women evolve and adapt in oppressive environments. Often using familiar myths and legends, she paints stories through her figures that question the roles women hold in society and cultural history. Adopting a surrealist touch, Abdelrassoul's paintings exalt in the feminine and
the emotional.

Abdelrassoul chooses to work in acrylic opposed to oil, which allows her to paint with emotion, the speed at which she can work helps her embody these momentary feelings. In her paintings recurring motifs emerge, sometimes in the form of anatomy and often in the form of nature and plants. Planting seeds at home with her own hands and watching them grow, these then become a source of inspiration to her. Working between the abstract and figurative, she intertwines human, animal and vegetal forms. Tree-like figures with branching veins and arteries and giant insect-like creatures merge on her canvases to remind the viewer of the vital bond between our internal lives and the exterior world we live in. Abdelrassoul believes we are all intrinsically connected to the earth, by reconceptualising perceptions of space, she repurposes notions of form, science and nature into strikingly personal configurations. 

Souad Abdelrassoul (b. 1974 in Cairo, Egypt) graduated with a BFA in 1998 from El Minya University and in 2005 completed her master’s degree in History of Art. In 2012 she completed her PhD in Modern Art History. Since 1998 she has exhibited frequently in group and solo exhibitions in Cairo, as well as in Nairobi, Beirut and the US. Her recent exhibitions include the Almas Foundation at the Fitzrovia Gallery, London, UK (2023); Cromwell Place, London, UK (2022); Circle Art Gallery, Nairobi, Kenya(2021); Cromwell Place, London, UK (2021).  In 2022 her work was commissioned for the facade of the Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre in London, UK. She is represented in the collections of Chazen Museum of Art, US and Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts, US. She was a finalist in the Norval Sovereign Art Prize, Cape Town.