Arab-Hop

Arab-Hop presents a curated photographic and designed exhibiton based on the nexploration of Arab hip-hop artists and fanatics based in Berlin. Drawing from the theoretical foundation of Arab Hip-hop, this exhibition repositions Arab hip-hop not only as protest music but as a vibrant medium for self-expression, cultural hybridity, and creative entrepreneurship. Through a series of large-scale portraits, the project foregrounds Berlin-based Middle eastern rappers and youth– navigating the complexities of diaspora, identity, and cultural legacy
through music.The portraits are visual stories informed by rappers, lyrics and personal symbols connecting to each person’s origin, as well as their story of how they are influenced by the hip-hop culture, and how they have adapted the culture, and embrace it to shape their Arab- Western identities.

My own aesthetic – deeply rooted the North African and Middle Eastern heritage – filters through these works, visually reconnecting with the places I have lived and the culture that shaped me and my personality as well as the culture that shaped these rappers.

It was seemingly interesting how I resonated with these photos, even though I tried to exclude myself out of the project, but undeniably, this project tells my story. The intersecting themes of
Arab-hop are visual story telling as a method of reframing dominant narratives about Middle Eastern youth, and how Arab-Western fusion can be portrayed through these individuals,
disrupting stereotypes to invite new interpretations of Arab creative life. Rather than focusing on conflict, the exhibition celebrates joy, resilience, pride, and complexity that defines Arab
youth and hip-hop practitioners in Europe. My personal aesthetic– which is deeply rooted in North African and Middle Eastern heritage – filters through these works, visually reconnecting with the places I have lived and the cultures that shaped me as an artist. This Chapter outlines the conceptual, aesthetic, and curatorial frameworks of the project and positions it as a visual and cultural extension of the research themes explored in this thesis.