REEM BASSOUS
Grants/Awards
Solo Exhibitions
Collaborative Projects/ Exhibitions
Selected Group Exhibitions
Bibliography
Print Media
Online Periodicals
Interviews/Press
Teaching Experience
Related Experience
(Co-Curator )of Why Paint? With Jan Dickey, Washington Studio School Gallery, 2026
Hawaiian Landscapes by Vincent Bercasio, 2025
Yumiko Glover: Traces of Memory, Washington Studio School, 2023
(Co-Curator) of Why Are You Painting exhibition at HoMA School, Honolulu, 2020
Lectures/Workshops/Residencies
Public Collections
Education
Grants/Awards
- 2013 The Kafiye Project Competition Winner, Kaflab Foundation, New York, NY
- 2011 The John Young Award, Artists of Hawaii Exhibition, Honolulu, HI
- 2002 The Langenkamp Award for Abstract Painting, Annual Awards Show, The George Washington University, Washington, DC
- 2001 The Glassman Award, Annual Awards Show, The George Washington University, Washington,DC
Solo Exhibitions
- 2025 Resilience in Ruins, SlipStitch Studio, Seattle, WA
- 2024 Warheads, Benchmark Gallery, Portland OR
- 2019 Endless Red: Moribund Outlivers. Aupuni Place, Honolulu, HI
- 2018 Shangri-La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture and Design. Artist in Residence Mural Commission, Honolulu, Hawaii
- 2016 PreyPray, SBCAST, Santa Barbara, CA
- 2015 Reem Bassous: Beyond the Archive, Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, HI
- 2013 Green Line, The Washington Studio School Gallery, Washington DC
- 2010 Plexus, Hawaii Pacific University, Honolulu, HI
- 2010 My Revolution Begins, The Contemporary Museum Café, Honolulu, HI
- 2005 Creative Destruction, RamsayOng Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Collaborative Projects/ Exhibitions
- 2026 O Ka Wai Mai, University of Hawai’i Art Gallery, Honolulu, HI
- 2025 Traces, Hillyer Gallery, Washington DC
- 2025 Baraka, Freight Gallery, Washington DC
- 2025 UCSB Glassbox Gallery, Santa Barbara CA
- 2024 Dissent: Opposition in Contemporary Art, Gallery 44, Washington DC
- 2023 The Ghosts of War, Hoʻikeākea Gallery, Honolulu, HI
- 2023 The Ghosts of War, East Hawai’i Cultural Center, Hilo, HI
- 2020 8x8 Exhibition, Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture and Design, Honolulu, HI
- 2020 Hawaii’s Women Artists Reflect on a 100 Years of Suffrage. Halekulani Galley, Honolulu, HI.
- 2018 The Far Shore: Navigating Homelands. Arab American National Museum, Dearborn, MI.
- 2017 Within/Without: A Collaboration between Mary Babcock, Reem Bassous, Katherine Love, Hadley Nunes and Maya Portner. Peggy Hopper Gallery, Honolulu, HI.
- 2016 FOUR: Reem Bassous, Pratisha Budhiraja, Deborah Nehmad, Yida Wang, Koa Gallery, Honolulu, HI
- 2012 Negotiating Dystopia, Reem Bassous and Maya Portner, Honolulu Museum School of Art, Honolulu, HI
- 2012 Hybrid Herd, Reem Bassous and Maya Portner, Thirtyninehotel, Honolulu, HI
- 2007 Portraits by Reem Bassous and Meg Harders, Focus Gallery at Meadows Museum, Shreveport, LA
- 2002 Calm and Chaos, Work by Reem Bassous and Jodie Biggers, Dimock Gallery, The George Washington University, Washington, DC
Selected Group Exhibitions
- 2021 One in a Year, The Painting Center, New York, NY
- 2021 Paintings We Collect, Downtown Arts Center, Honolulu, HI
- 2020 F-99: Global Conversation 2020, UN 75th anniversary commemorative exhibition
- 2019 Artifacts of Place, Stand4 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
- 2019 Cycles, Mori at Hawaii State Art Museum, Honolulu, HI
- 2019 Drawing 2019: Kailua Gallery, Kailua, HI
- 2018 Finding Home: The Global Refugee Crisis, University of Central Florida Art Gallery, Orlando, FL
- 2014 In Transit, Consulate General of Lebanon, New York, NY
- 2014 Shifting Ecologies, The Painting Center, New York, NY
- 2013 The Kafiye Project, Whitebox Art Center, New York, NY
- 2013 Faculty Exhibition, University of Hawaii at Manoa
- 2011 Artists of Hawaii, Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, HI
- 2010 Miniature Exhibition, Koa Gallery, Honolulu, HI
- 2009 Faculty Exhibition, University of Hawaii at Manoa
- 2008 Japanese Chamber of Commerce Exhibition, Honolulu Museum School of Art, Honolulu, HI
- 2007 Artists of Hawaii, Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, HI
- 2006 2”x12” Annual National Juried Exhibition, Louisiana State University Union Gallery, Baton Rouge, LA
- 2006 Northwest Louisiana Artists’ Triennial Competition, Meadows Museum, Shreveport, LA
- 2006 Hiroshima Benefit Exhibition, Brunei Gallery, University of London, London, England
- 2003 Washington Studio School Faculty Exhibition, Dumbarton Concert Gallery, Washington, DC
- 2001 Emerging Talent, Fraser Gallery, Washington, DC
- 2001 Maryland Federation of Art Annual Exhibition, Annapolis, MD
Bibliography
Print Media
- Dissent: Opposition in Contemporary Art, Gallery 44
- Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS) Georgetown University, Spring/Summer 2021
- FLUX Hawaii: Dark Matter, Fall 2019
- The Far Shore: Navigating Homelands, exhibition catalog, 2018
- Finding Home: The Global Refugee Crisis UCF, exhibition catalog, 2018
- Imago Mundi, It’s Always Been (Lebanon), 2018
- The Times Literary Supplement, Sorry What Were You Saying? By Katy Guest, November 14, 2017
- Book Cover: Liban. Memoires Fragmentees d’une guerre obsedante by Carla Calrage. June 2017
- New American Paintings No.127 Pacific Coast Issue January 2017
- Art Asia Pacific, Studio Visit with Lebanese Artist Reem Bassous, by Isabella Hughes, April 21, 2016
- Star Advertiser, Roundtable to Explore Injustice Against Land, by Mindy Pennybacker, March 20, 2016 Star
- Advertiser, Political Art Elicits Cultural Reflection, by Brett Oppegaard, January 24, 2016
- Star Advertiser, Artist’s Show Evokes Her Days Growing Up in War-Torn Lebanon, by David Goldberg, January 3, 2016
- Summit Magazine. War and Paint, by Will Caron, November 2015
- Honolulu Museum of Art Member’s Magazine, December 2015
- L’Orient Le Jour, Des Jeunes Talents Libanais au Consulat du Liban de New York, October 13, 2014
- The Painting Center Publication, Shifting Ecologies, June 2014
- The Washington Post, Green Line (Sunday Arts Section), by Mark Jenkins, September 29, 2013
- The Honolulu Weekly, The Scapes of War, by Matt Dekneef, November 2010
- Kalamalama, Visions of an Artist, October 2010
- The Honolulu Weekly, Grim Poetry, by Marcia Morse, February 2010
- The Honolulu Weekly, Artists of Hawaii review, August 2007
Online Periodicals
- Hyperallergic, September 26, 2024
- Hyperallergic, December 28, 2018
- University of Hawaii Newsletter, September 7, 2017
- Honolulu Museum of Art Blog, August 2017
- Hawaii Public Radio, March 22, 2016
- Hawaii Public Radio, March 16, 2016
- Honolulu Magazine, December 18, 2015
- Honolulu Museum of Art Blog, December 2015
- Honolulu Museum of Art Blog, May 2015
- Dialogist: Quarterly Poetry and Art, Vol. I Issue III
- Ecology: Environmental Art Exhibit, Shifting Ecologies
- My Art Space Talk: Reem Bassous, September 6, 2008
Interviews/Press
- Interview with WPFW, Something to Say, March 19, 2024
- Interview with KHON2, February 18, 2020
- British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), July 14, 2017
- Design Talk Hawaii, AM760 KGU, September 2, 2016Hawaii Public Radio, The Conversation with Bill Sage, May 5, 2016
- Island Connection, Occupation and Resistance, Olelo TV, April 2016
- Hawaii Public Radio Injustice Against the Land roundtable discussion, March 22, 2016
- Al Hurra TV Al Majalla segment, featuring artist Reem Bassous. Air Date February 2nd 2015
Teaching Experience
- 2023-present Executive Artistic Director and Head of Faculty, Washington Studio School, Washington, DC
- 2016-2023 Assistant Professor, Drawing and Painting, Leeward Community College, Honolulu, HI
- 2007-2016 Lecturer, Drawing and Painting Program, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI
- 2015-2016 Lecturer, Art Program, Leeward Community College, Honolulu, HI
- 2014-2016 Lecturer, Communication Arts Program, Honolulu Community College, Honolulu, HI
- 2003-2004 Instructor of Drawing and Painting, The Washington Studio School, Washington, DC
- 2001 Lecturer, Painting, The George Washington University, Washington DC
Related Experience
- Lecture: Anthropologies of the Middle East and North Africa at Hunter College, Fall 2025
- Nominating Board, Transformers DC, 2025
- Oral History Interview, Bishop Museum and Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture, 2025
- Judge, Misty Daily Awards, Maria and Alberto de la Cruz Gallery, Georgetown University, 2024
- Gallery Coordinator, Ho’ikeakea Gallery, Honolulu, HI, 2022-23
- Discipline Coordinator, Drawing and Painting Program, Leeward Community College, Honolulu, HI, 2021-23
- Creative Council Member, Peace Studios 2021-2022
- Juror, Hui No’eau Annual Exhibition, Maui, HI, 2022
- Friends of the Hawaii State Art Museum Commemorative Print Commission, 2020
- Visiting Artist with Ana Aqra Foundation, Second Chance project with Syrian Refugee Children, 2015-2018
- Graduate Mentor in Painting, Lesley University, Boston, MA, 2013, 2014, 2017
- Doctorate of Architecture Thesis Advisor, Ronald Ribao, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, 2014-15
- Juror, 52nd Annual Regional Scholastic Awards, 2014, Honolulu, HI
- Juror, 47th Annual Regional Scholastic Awards, 2009, Honolulu, HI
- Juror, Annual Student Show, 2003, The George Washington University, Washington, DC
(Co-Curator )of Why Paint? With Jan Dickey, Washington Studio School Gallery, 2026
Hawaiian Landscapes by Vincent Bercasio, 2025
Yumiko Glover: Traces of Memory, Washington Studio School, 2023
(Co-Curator) of Why Are You Painting exhibition at HoMA School, Honolulu, 2020
Lectures/Workshops/Residencies
- Color Workshop, Washington Studio School, Washington DC, 2023
- Sketchbook Workshop, Washington Studio School, Washington DC, 2022
- Creative Mornings (on Truth), Honolulu, HI, 2022
- Image Politics III, Washington Studio School, Washington DC, 2022
- Art Workshop, Refugee Support Europe, Nicosia, Cyprus, 2021
- Image Politics II, Washington Studio School, Washington DC, 2021
- Image Politics, Washington Studio School, Washington DC, 2020
- Lecture, Debunking Preconceptions, Art from Hawai’I, Bassous/Nunes, New York Studio School, New York, NY, 2019
- Artist Talk, Mapping the Middle East, Stand4 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, 2019
- Guest Lecturer, Artist Talk, Contemporary Art in Hawaii, ART 478, University of Hawaii
- at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, 2019
- Artist tour/talk Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture and Design, Honolulu, HI, 2018
- Visiting Artist Workshops with Reem Bassous, Ana Aqra Association, Beirut, Lebanon, 2017
- Bridging Gaps Workshop with Reem Bassous, Honolulu Museum School of Art, Honolulu, HI, 2017
- Memory/Space Workshop with Reem Bassous, Honolulu Museum School of Art, Honolulu, HI, 2017
- Reem Bassous Artist Talk, Embarcadero Hall, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2016
- Visiting Artist, UCSB, Santa Barbara, CA, 2016
- Artists Roundtable: Injustice Against the Land, Hawaii Public Radio, March 22, 2016
- Art Workshop, Ana Aqra’ Association, Art with Syrian Refugee Children, Bekaa/Beirut, Lebanon, 2015-18
- Lecture, Beyond the Façade, Pecha Kucha, Honolulu, HI, 2015
- Guest Lecturer, Lebanese Civil War and the Arab Spring, POLS 201 Problems of War and
- Peace, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, 2015
- Artist Talk, Hawaii Pacific University, Honolulu, HI, 2014
- Artist in Residence, The Washington Studio School, Washington, DC, 2014
- Guest Lecturer, The Global Role of the Contemporary Lebanese Artist, ART 400 Global/Local,
- Issues in Art, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, 2014
- Artist Talk, The Washington Studio School, Washington, DC, 2013
- Workshop, The Washington Studio School, Washington, DC, 2013
- Artist Talk, Packaged States of Existence, OffHRS Creative, Honolulu, HI, 2012
- Workshop, Honolulu Museum School of Art, Honolulu, HI, 2012
- Workshop, OffHRS Creative, Honolulu, HI, 2011
- Artist Talk, Pecha Kucha, Honolulu, HI, 2009
- Visiting Artist, Centenary College, Shreveport, LA, 2007
Public Collections
- Honolulu Museum of Art
- Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture and Design
Education
- 2002 MFA in Painting, The George Washington University, Washington DC
- 1999 BFA, The Lebanese American University, Byblos, Lebanon