TINTERA, the only private gallery in Egypt dedicated to fine art photography, is delighted to make its debut at 1-54 London taking place at Somerset House 16th-19th October 2025 (S8, South Wing, 1st floor).
Bringing together works by two of the gallery’s represented artists, Ibrahim Ahmed and Hashim Nasr, the stand focuses on themes of identity, gender, war and exile through a contemplative display of photographic tableaus and unique photomontages (photocollages).
Giza-based artist Ibrahim Ahmed presents works from i never revealed myself to them (2016-ongoing), an extensive body of work with numerous iterations through which he examines masculinity(ies), its traditions and representations. The stand features pieces from Ahmed’s second iteration you can’t recognize what you don’t know (2020-2021), a collection of monochrome photomontages (photocollages) that combine posed full body portraits of the artist taken in photography studios together with images of a documented performance. Using techniques involving editing, cutting and layering, he deconstructs and reconstructs his images of the male body into new and peculiar re-enactments, gesturing to the performative nature of masculinity and the permeating effects of social constructionism.
Alongside Ahmed’s photomontages (photocollages) the stand exhibits work from three different series by Sudanese self-taught artist Hashim Nasr. Living in Egypt since the start of the 2023 war in Sudan, Nasr’s recent work delves into the emotional complexities of exile, exploring themes of heritage, identity, and memory through surreal and avant-garde imagery. Set against the backdrop of Sudan’s recent political and economic challenges, his work becomes an act of self-narration through a fusion of form and symbolism. His symbolic use of cones, the colour blue, fabricated, staged and natural elements combine into surrealistic tableaus of vibrant colour that capture the essence of the human experience through an introspective lens.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Ibrahim Ahmed (b.1984, Kuwait) is an Egyptian visual artist who has spent his childhood between Bahrain and Egypt before moving to the US at the age of thirteen. In 2014, he relocated to Cairo, where he currently lives and works in the informal neighbourhood of Ard El Lewa, Giza. Ahmed’s manipulations of materials are informed by research into the histories of peoples and objects. His works in photography, mixed media, sculpture and installation engage with subjects related to colonisation, structures of power, cultural interactions and fluid identity, generating discussions around the idea of self and notions of authenticity within the parameters of the nation state.
Ahmed has had solo exhibitions at the Institute for Contemporary Art in Richmond, VA (2021); TINTERA, Cairo (2021), Primary, Nottingham (2019); Sara Zanin Gallery, Rome (2018); Gallery Nosco, Marseille (2018); Volta Art Fair, New York (2016); Townhouse Gallery, Cairo (2016); artellewa art space, Giza (2014) and Solo(s) Project House, Newark (2010). His work has also been included in numerous group exhibitions, including at Ames Yavous, London; TINTERA, Cairo; Jaou Tunis, Tunisia; the Sharjah Art Museum; Dakar Biennial; Havana Biennial and Biennale Internationale de Casablanca.
Identity
Following the fair, Ibrahim Ahmed’s first solo exhibition in Australia Ibrahim Ahmed: Amidst the Absence a Present is Felt will be on display at the Walker Street Gallery and Art Centre in Greater Dandenong (25th October 2025 – 16th January 2026), presenting powerful sculptural and photographic works and a new commission that explore themes of identity, erasure and resilience.
In 2021 Ahmed was shortlisted for the Emerging Photographer of the Year Award at Photo London in partnership with NikonNorthern Europe and in 2023 Ahmed was exhibited at Les Rencontres d’Arles as a shortlisted artist for the Louis Roederer Discovery Award. His work is held in many private collections including the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart, Australia, the Kamal Lazaar Foundation, Tunis and the Kadist Collection, France. Ahmed holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Hashim Nasr (b. 1990, Sudan) is a Sudanese visual artist who worked as a dentist in Khartoum until the outbreak of the recent war forced him into exile in Egypt. His passion for art photography emerged as a means of escape from the pressures of daily life in Sudan. Largely self-taught and often working with a camera phone, Nasr creates surreal and conceptual images through portraiture, symbolic props, and evocative settings. His work frequently explores themes of gender equality, diversity, and the subconscious.
In 2024 Nasr’s exhibitions included: Points of Resonance, The Africa Center, New York, USA; Uncanny, FNB Art Joburg Open City, South Africa; Through the Window, We Sees Fire, Turkey; and SARD IV, Alexandria Photo Week, Egypt. In 2023, exhibitions included: Points of Resonance, CANEX-Intra-African Trade Fair, Cairo, Egypt; Africa Photo Fair, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; Cartwheels of Estrangement, Alliance Française Nairobi, Kenya; The Gold of Grandmothers, Goethe-Institut, Cologne, Germany; Women and the State, Downtown Gallery Khartoum, Sudan and SARD III, Cairo Photo Week, Cairo, Egypt.
More about Ibrahim Ahmed’s work
you can’t recognise what you don’t know (2020-2021) are studio self-portraits where the artist performs the gestures and poses so often identified with the masculine. Taking his cue from classical Greco-Roman and Egyptian sculpture, bodybuilding, and observing youth in his working-class neighbourhood, the postures and references are dissected; the stillness of the poses allow for a more forensic look at the (his own) male body and what it has inherited.
About Hashim Nasr’s work
On War and Displacement, (2023 – ongoing). After the 15th of April 2023, Nasr’s family found themselves navigating the chaos of bombings and air strikes in Khartoum, and he vividly recalls the image of them huddling under the dining room table, seeking refuge. Recognising the urgent need to capture the raw emotions that engulfed them, Nasr employs dreamlike visuals and metaphors to prompt viewers to delve into the intangible aspects of these crises. The colourful cones abstractly symbolise his family, friends, and himself. Despite being displaced from the war zones in Sudan, Nasr managed to find a way to convey the emotional tapestry woven into the psychological space of the communities affected.
Women and Status (2023) highlights the challenges faced by women in Sudan, particularly the struggle for their rights within a patriarchal society. Using symbolic blue cones as metaphors for patriarchy and oppression, bouquets of flowers as symbols of hope and traditional gold earrings to mask the woman’s eyes, the series draws inspiration from the women led demonstrations of 2018 to the role the monopoly of gold resources by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces played in leading to the outbreak of the civil war in 2023. Nasr explores these societal barriers confining women while always emphasising their resilience and strength.
A Leap into a Dream (2022 – ongoing). While exploring themes of identity and aging within the tumultuous backdrop of Sudan’s political and economic challenges over the past four years, Nasr’s reflections have become an integral part of his artistic expression. These contemplations have infused his works with depth and resonance, shaping the series A Leap Into A Dream, a series that blends realistic imagery with fantastical or dreamlike elements, creating a sense of wonder and blurring the lines between reality and the surreal. Navigating the balance between conceptual and dreamlike surrealism, weaving together avant-garde and editorial elements, each image crafts a narrative that resonates on multiple levels. Central to his practice is the fusion of form and symbolism. Drawing inspiration from floral motifs, the work carries a sense of rootedness and connection to the natural world. Using his phone camera and collaborating with friends and family as his models, the tableaus capture the essence of human experience via a lens of introspection, from the inside out.
About TINTERA
TINTERA, founded in Cairo in 2019, is dedicated to elevating Egyptian photography—both contemporary and historical—while celebrating the country’s vibrant art scene through the work of conceptual artists from diverse backgrounds. The gallery champions practices that engage with photography in distinctive and thought-provoking ways. Egypt’s relationship with photography stretches back to 1839, when the medium first emerged, attracting generations of renowned photographers who continue to be drawn to the country today.
TINTERA’s founders, Zein Khalifa and Heba Farid, articulate the gallery’s mission as follows: “We showcase work that redefines perceptions of local artistic practice, revealing diverse and innovative approaches to image-making within Egypt’s complex and dynamic context.”
The gallery currently works with over 23 artists from Egypt and elsewhere, emerging and established, with Egypt being the common inspiration in their work. Since opening TINTERA has placed its artists’ work in a major museum and in many prominent, private collections.
TINTERA
1-54 London
S8, South Wing, 1st floor
Somerset House
Strand, London
WC2R 1LA
Opening times:
16th-19th October 2025
VIP and Press Preview:
Thursday 16th October, 11 am – 7 pm
Public and VIP Opening:
Friday 17th October, 11 – 7 pm
Saturday 18th October, 11 – 7 pm
Sunday 19th October, 11 – 6 pm
See also: Affordable Art Fair’s Autumn Edition
