when the familiar becomes unsafe
Mona Hatoum (1952) is one of the most influential artists of her generation. She was born in Beirut to Palestinian parents and has lived and worked in London since the 1970s. Her biography is not secondary to the work. Displacement, political tension and the condition of not fully belonging are structural elements in her practice.
Hatoum does not tell stories in a literal way. She avoids illustration. Instead, she constructs situations in which the viewer is placed in a position of tension.
From body to object
Her early work consisted of performances centred on her own body. These works were direct and confrontational, addressing political and personal conditions through physical presence.
In the 1990s, her practice shifted towards objects and installations. This was not a move away from politics, but a change in method. The work became less direct and more dependent on the viewer’s position.
The focus moves from the artist’s body to the viewer’s experience.
The familiar as threat
Hatoum works with everyday objects.
She selects recognisable forms — such as a grater, a bed, a chair or a globe — and alters them in a way that disrupts their normal function or meaning.
Grater Divide is an example. A kitchen utensil is enlarged and repositioned as a room divider. The object remains identifiable, but its scale and function change how it is perceived.
Domestic space is no longer neutral.
The object is no longer stable.
Containment and control
Themes of containment and restriction are central in her work.
Grids, cages and barriers appear frequently. These are not abstract references, but physical structures that organise how the viewer moves through space.
Her installations often create a situation in which proximity is possible, but not without tension.
The role of the viewer
The work does not present a fixed meaning.
It operates through the viewer’s physical and psychological response. The experience of the work is not separate from its content.
Understanding is not only conceptual, but also sensory.
Why her work matters now
Hatoum’s work remains relevant because it addresses structural conditions rather than specific events.
Questions of borders, migration, identity and control continue to shape contemporary reality.
Her work engages with these conditions without illustrating them directly.
Conclusion
Hatoum’s work is based on shifts in context and perception.
Objects remain recognisable, but their meaning changes.
Spaces remain accessible, but their conditions are altered.
The work is defined by this change in relation, not by transformation of the object itself. Her work is included in the immersive exhibition 100 Women in Art You Need to Know, where it is presented within a broader context of female artists and their position in art history.
