Hani Zurob, born in 1976 in Rafah Camp, Gaza, moved to Nablus in 1994 and graduated with a bachelor of fine arts degree from An-Najah University in 1999. He then settled in Ramallah, where he staged many solo exhibitions and was a finalist for the A. M. Qattan Foundation Young Artist Award in 2002. In 2006, he received a grant that allowed him to reside in Paris at the Cité Internationale des Arts.
Hani was unable to return to his homeland. Today he lives in France, creating works that explore the state of exile, waiting, movement, and displacement. His work presents Palestine through a personal perspective and in a conceptual context that transcends borders and geography – concepts that remain close to the painter’s heart. Hani Zurob was granted the Renoir Prize (France) in 2009, and has participated in numerous international solo exhibitions in cities such as Paris, London, Atlanta, Marrakech, Doha, Rabat, and Kuwait, as well as in group exhibitions and artistic events in Europe and worldwide.
His work is found in private and public collections, including in the Arab American National Museum (AANM), Dearborn, Michigan; the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, New York; Association Renoir, France; Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris; Mairie de Paris, Hôtel de Ville, Paris; Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah; Contemporary Art Platform (CAP), Kuwait; A. M. Qattan Foundation, London-Ramallah; Birzeit University Museum, Birzeit, Palestine; Ramzi Dalloul Collection, Lebanon; and the George Michael Al Ama Collection, Palestine.
Between Exits: Paintings by Hani Zurob, a monograph by Kamal Boullata that traces the development of Hani’s work, was published by Black Dog Publishing, London, in November 2012. “Hani’s practice provides an important voice in contemporary Palestinian culture as well as a significant contribution to the creation of an Arab aesthetic. Ultimately though, while Zurob’s art gives powerful expression to the Palestinian collective experience, it can also be seen in the context of more universal themes of personal identity and embraces humanity beyond the Palestinian context.” (Black Dog Publishing)
Hani is married to Sabreen Daoud, a Palestinian from Jerusalem who works in art education at schools in Paris. The couple has two sons, Qoudsi and Ziad.
