Fares Zaitoon   Fares Zaitoon (b. 1990, Egypt) is a documentary photographer and visual artist born and raised in Cairo. His work explores themes often considered taboo, including drug addiction, mental health, identity crises, and personal obsessions. Zaitoon often uses his own life experiences as source material for his projects. After leaving university in 2016, he committed himself fully to his art, focusing on stories that resonate with him. He pursued further education through a full scholarship at the Danish School of Media & Journalism and H-S Hannover University.

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His works were exhibited at Cairographie Festival in 2017; in ‘Hakawi’ as part of a Paris showcase organized by Cité Internationale des Arts, and in Zamalek Art Gallery in Egypt in 2019. Also, his work has been featured in Vice Arabia, CNN Arabic, Mada Masr, Daily News, and Cairo Scene, British Journal of Photography, Spiegel magazine, and his most recent achievements include being nominated for the CAP Prize 2020 for Contemporary African Photography, in 2021 earning a scholarship to the Danish school of media and journalism, and in 2022 receiving a scholarship to H-S Hannover University.

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EDUCATION & SCHOLARSHIPS

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- A scholarship diploma from the Danish School of Media & journalism (2020)

- Scholarship diploma at H-S Hannover University (2022)

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EXHIBITIONS

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- Exhibited my series, ‘I have been there’ at the Cairographie festival in (2017)

- Exhibited my series, ‘I have found home’ as part of the Paris showcase ‘Hakawi’ organized by Cité

Internationale des Arts in (2018)

- Exhibited my series, ‘Switch the lights off’ at the Zamalek Art Gallery in (2019)

- Exhibited my series ‘The cold is unbearable this summer’ with ART D’ EGYPT (2023)

- Exhibited my series “I have found home” Invitation Art Festival: motiva - the ambiguity of

belonging to the south of Germany

- Exhibited my dummy book ‘Untitled Folder’ at Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum (2023)

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GRANTS

-2022 received a grant from the ECCA-DMJX photojournalism Award.

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WORKSHOPS

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- Art direction Image Making with Kegham Djeghalian

- Building a Photography Topic with Nabil Noutros

- Visual Storytelling with Bruno Boudjelal with the French institute

- On instructing photography with the University of KASK in Ghent

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SOLO EXHIBITION

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- Stranger Tourist at Darb 1718 is an Egyptian contemporary art and culture center located in the Fustat area

of Old Cairo. Curated by Farida Youssef (2023)

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PRESS & FEATURED

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-Vice Arabia, CNN Arabic, Mada Masr, Daily News, Cairo Scene, British Journal of Photography,

Spiegel magazine and Fluter

 

 

Contact 

Number: +201020171772

Email: fzaitoon.fz@gmail.com