Medina Hammad was born to immigrant parents in Middlesex, England in 1963, attending Chelsea School of Art from 1981 to 1982 and then Newport College of Art in Gwent from 1982 to 1985. Subsequently working as an art teacher, she continues to focus on her own practice, based in Lincoln, England, making work that is often characterised by its autobiographical underpinning rooted in her Sudanese/English identity, alongside themes of memory, loss and grief. Hammad has exhibited widely in the UK, including in the 1991–2 travelling exhibition 'Four X 4', curated by renowned Jamaican-English artist and curator, Eddie Chambers.
Painter, draughtsman, and art teacher, Medina Hammad was born to immigrant parents in Middlesex, England in 1963. Her father was a Sudanese immigrant. She attended Chelsea School of Art from 1981 to 1982 and then Newport College of Art in Gwent from 1982 to 1985. Following her studies, she took up a teaching position at Lincolnshire College of Art and Design.
Hammad's oeuvre has gone through several phases, beginning with painting, transitioning to sculpture, collage, and drawing, before returning to painting. Her practice is ever-evolving, often characterised by its autobiographical underpinning, rooted in her Sudanese/English identity and expressed via a vibrant and energetic palette. Her works also often display a dreamlike ambiance. Narratives, particularly influenced by mythology and folklore, are central to her creations, as are themes of memory, loss, and grief. As of 2021, a significant part of her art was dedicated to her late mother, a profound influence in her life. Numerous pieces from this phase are titled as Mourning Study, emphasising the evolving nature of grief. Hammad’s portrayal of sorrow draws inspiration from The New Black by psychologist Darian Leader. Especially resonant for her was Leader’s exploration of how loss is processed emotionally, often through dreams, echoing Sigmund Freud's earlier pioneering theories. Hammad’s pieces also, more widely, reflect on cultural mourning rituals, such as those from the Victorian era. Committed to painting her deepest sentiments and life experiences, Hammad acknowledges the ebbs and flows in her creative output, especially during her tenure in education. As she transitioned into middle age, Hammad recognised the paradox of understanding oneself yet realising how much one does not know. She believes that each phase of life influences art in diverse ways, be it through the choice of medium, composition, scale, or subject matter.
Hammad has several important exhibitions in the UK. In 1988, she exhibited her work at the Usher Gallery in Lincoln, and by 1991–2, her pieces were featured in the traveling exhibition, History and Identity, organised by the Norwich Gallery. She was also part of the 1991–2 travelling exhibition series Four X 4 curated by the Jamaican-English artist and curator Eddie Chambers. The artists changed for each venue and in total the project showcased installations by 16 artists, primarily of BAME and immigrant heritage, across four UK galleries, in Bristol, Leicester, Preston, and Wolverhampton. Hammad’s work was exhibited at The City Gallery in Leciester in 1991. In 1992, she was part of the group show, New Worlds held at the Commonwealth Institute in London which explored the theme of the juxtapositions between Europe and the developing countries of the 1990s. In 1998, the Usher Gallery mounted a second exhibition of Hammad’s works. Titled Sudanese Stories, it presented paintings inspired by conversations with her father about his life in Sudan, as well as by her own travels in the country. ‘Many of the experiences,’ she stated in relation to the exhibition, ‘recorded in this body of work relate to my family and cultural identity. The story I repeatedly return to is that of my father. He came from Sudan at the age of 18 and made a life for himself in Europe,’ (Hammad in The Lincolnshire Echo, 1998, p. 9). In 2002, Chambers curated Hammad’s solo exhibition at 4 Victoria Street, Bristol, followed by another solo show at the University of Leeds in 2004.
Medina Hammad continues to live and works in Lincoln. Her work can be found in UK public collections including the University of Lincoln Collection and the Usher Gallery, both in Lincoln. Since 2021, she has held the position of Exhibitions Officer for the Lincolnshire Artists’ Society and is a member of the Nadin Group (an art group based in Lincolnshire).
Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [Medina Hammad]
Publications related to [Medina Hammad] in the Ben Uri Library