Photographer Hanan Maamoun brings her portrait and architecture visions alive through Cubist and Deconstructionist-inspired photography.
A Photographer With Diverse Artistic Skills
Hanan Maamoun, formally educated in Cinema and Theater Set Design (Scenography), describes herself as a visual artist, digital artist, and fine art photographer. Her degree and background in theater inspire her to create unique work straddling the line between photography and digital art. Her imagery combines architectural elements, geometric forms, and photographs cut into abstract shapes. Deconstructing photographs like a puzzle to break traditional rules is her specialty.
“I’ve always been drawn to movements like Cubism, Deconstructivism, and Abstraction; how they challenged the way we see and interpret art. Before these movements, art was all about capturing reality in full detail.
“But then, suddenly, it became about breaking the rules, reshaping perspectives, and creating something that makes you think. That shift didn’t just change painting and sculpture; it influenced photography too,” she described.
While most photographers see a camera as a tool to document a moment in time, Hanan Maamoun sees it as a “doorway to endless possibilities.”
Hanan Maamoun’s work has been featured in local and international exhibitions and honored with multiple awards, including First Prize in Photography at the Farouk Hosny Foundation Art Awards, Salon Award in Digital Arts at the 34th Youth Salon at the Cairo Opera House, and recently a finalist in the HIPA International Photography Award.
Cubist Inspirations
She is influenced by the Spanish Cubist master painters Pablo Picasso and Juan Gris. With an eye for photography, architecture, street, and abstract photography, she enjoys the work of the Cubists, who used deliberate compositions with deconstructed objects that still preserved the essence of the subject.
In particular, a quote by Juan Gris helped shape her approach to photography:
“Cézanne made a cylinder out of a bottle. I start from the cylinder to create a special kind of individual object. I make a bottle — a particular bottle — out of a cylinder.”
Instead of considering photographs as individual works, Maamoun collects images from multiple angles and locations, piecing them together into a new perspective.
When photographing buildings, she describes being further inspired by architect Frank Gary. She intends even static structures to have an illusion of instability as if they are in motion.
The puzzle pieces of her work are intentional. With the fragmented forms, she seeks a perfect blend of chaos and ideal balance, often using the golden ratio and leading lines to create a structured yet dynamic composition. The goal is visual harmony, whether by using or breaking the rules.
“For me, color isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s a tool to direct the viewer’s attention, emphasize key elements, and shape the emotional impact of the image. I experiment with unconventional angles, tight crops, and negative space to challenge how the subject is perceived. I want my images to feel dynamic, as if they extend beyond the frame, drawing the viewer into a world that feels alive and ever-evolving.”
A Meticulous Process From Image Capture to Completion
As methodical and intentional as her puzzle piece artworks are, her creation process is just as meticulous. She described in great detail the various layers of thought that go into each step.
It begins with a spark of inspiration and exploration into a concept. By looking at references, sketching ideas, and researching, she begins to plan out a scene. The next step is location scouting and determining whether models and props will be required.
To capture her vision, she goes into a photo shoot with this initial concept but is flexible in how it all comes together. She will photograph the same subject in multiple ways, capturing what she describes as crucial “fragments, angles, textures, and movements” that comprise her final works.
Once on the computer, Photoshop is where the magic happens. She sculpts the image through layering, merging elements, and constant adjustments until it feels just right.
She describes that some pieces take hours, while others take weeks to transform entirely.
“There are moments of frustration, but then, suddenly, it clicks,” Maamoun explains. “The image stops being just a collection of elements and becomes something complete—something that feels like mine. It carries the energy I wanted, the balance between chaos and harmony.
“For me, creating isn’t about documenting reality. It’s about bending it, reshaping it, and making it my own.”
Exploring the Relationship Between People and Nature
Hanan Maamoun’s latest project, “Fruitopia,” explores the relationship between humans and nature. In this series, she combines images of architecture, a model, and fruits and vegetables. Part artistic exercise, her goal is to create something that she describes as “completely irrational,” but that somehow fits visually as if meant to be there.
“My goal isn’t just to create surreal images but to spark curiosity—to make people stop and wonder, even if just for a moment, about the strange and beautiful ways everything in our world is connected,” she says.
“Geometry is the foundation of my artistic vision—you’ll always find triangles and circles subtly shaping my compositions, creating a hidden balance even within chaos. I’m drawn to contrasts, whether it’s the tension between old and new, youth and age, or the surreal fusion of elements that logically shouldn’t coexist.”
An example, which was awarded at the Youth Salon at the Egyptian Opera House, is her series “Question Mark.”
As shown below in order, this series was inspired by the demolition of historical and culturally significant sites to make way for high rises, malls, and other modern buildings that she feels lack identity. The “Question Mark” series comprises four images that seem to morph and show the transformation of a beautiful heritage building to its complete replacement by modern construction.
By drawing attention to the dismantling of these buildings, she also feels that highlighting the erasure of this heritage will help preserve the location’s values and traditions.
Artist Hanan Maamoun Pushes Boundaries and Breaks Barriers
This hallmark visual storytelling is helping Hanan Maamoun push the boundaries of how she sees and captures future work. Despite being inspired by the master Cubist painters, she experiments further with new styles of digital art. She has started exploring alternative printing as a possible next step in her evolution as an artist.
In the pursuit of combining old and new ideas, she is not afraid to try new concepts and, most of all, create something that starts conversations.
“What I do know is that I want my work to create a conversation, to make people stop, look, and question what they’re seeing in a completely new way.”
After all, like her work, Hanan Maamoun is not afraid to push boundaries or be different.
Image credits: Photographs, Digital Art by Hanan Maamoun.
