Mona Hatoum

Mona Hatoum: between desire and charm

Born in Beirut to a Palestinian family, Mona Hatoum moved to London in 1975 after the outbreak of the civil war in Lebanon. She began her career in the mid-80s with a series of performances and video works and then focused, in the early 90s, mainly on installations and sculptures. She loves to engage the viewer by arousing contrasting emotions of desire and repulsion, fear and fascination.

The new illy Art Collection, designed by Mona Hatoum, is a game of shapes and colours that resembles the typical motif of the Kefiah: the traditional Arabian headdress nestled between fishing nets and olive leaves. A formal reinterpretation that depicts a heartfelt story about work, sacrifice and interpersonal relationships.