Not on display

Armed Innocence II

Photograph
01/2011 (photographed)
Artist/Maker
Nermine Hammam (photographer)
Place of origin
Cairo (photographed)

Photograph depicting two Egyptian soldiers dressed in camouflage clothing; one holding a weapon. Their expressions are calm and their eyes are cast downwards. Snow-capped mountain scenery can be seen in the background.

Object details

Categories
Photographs
Military
Object type
Photograph
Titles
  • Armed Innocence II (assigned by artist)
  • Upekkha (series title)
Materials and techniques
archival inkjet print
Photographic Paper
Archival Inkjet Printing
Photography
Brief description
Photograph, 'Armed Innocence II' from the series 'Upekkha', archival inkjet print, by Nermine Hammam, Egypt, 2011
Physical description
Photograph depicting two Egyptian soldiers dressed in camouflage clothing; one holding a weapon. Their expressions are calm and their eyes are cast downwards. Snow-capped mountain scenery can be seen in the background.
Dimensions
  • Image height: 60.3cm
  • Image width: 90.3cm
  • Paper height: 72cm
  • Paper width: 102cm
  • Framed height: 840mm
  • Framed width: 1130mm
  • Framed depth: 40mm
Gallery label
(September 2012)
When the army was called in to respond to the protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square in January 2011, Hammam was struck by the vulnerability of the soldiers. They seemed to want to be anywhere but there. In her photographs she transports these soldiers into vibrant fantasy settings. The images are reminiscent of postcards. They liken the events of Tahrir Square to a tourist attraction that drew the world’s attention, but was not fully understood.

(Marta Weiss)
Credit line
Art Fund Collection of Middle Eastern Photography at the V&A and the British Museum
Production
These photographs were made in response to the events of January 2011 which resulted in the removal of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. Hammam's series entitled 'Upekkha' is based on portraits made in Tahrir Square, Cairo.
Associated objects
Bibliographic reference
Light from the Middle East: New Photography
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.1131-2012

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Record createdOctober 16, 2012
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1256351/armed-innocence-ii-photograph-nermine-hammam/
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