EssaysNovember 5, 2026
Details
Hani Hourani4 min read
About Hani Hourani's "Details" at the Ru'a Art Gallery
When Photography "Furnishes" the World Around UsDr. Omar Razzaz, Director General of the Social Security Corporation, inaugurated Hani Hourani's "Details" exhibition at the Ru'a Art Center. The exhibition featured over forty photographic works, most of them in the form of multi-image murals.
Jordanian architecture and nature received special attention in the exhibition. A mural dedicated to the city of Salt, measuring 3.5 meters by 1.5 meters, was a prominent feature. It comprised a panorama composed of sixty pieces, covering the facades of Salt's buildings constructed from the distinctive yellow stone characteristic of traditional Salt architecture. The exhibition also included a mural made up of sections of Petra rocks in shades ranging from reddish-purple to blue, as well as another mural titled "Mosaic of Sand." This latter mural, composed of 45 pieces, measuring two meters wide and one meter high, depicted the details of the undulating sand dunes of Wadi Rum, Wadi Araba, and other desert regions.
Only a few more pieces, measuring two meters wide and one meter high, were used to depict the details of the sand dunes and plateaus of Wadi Rum, Wadi Araba, and other desert regions.
Another theme that occupied a central place in the exhibition was reflections on water, which were the subject of a number of murals and individual photographs. From Venice, Marseille, and other European ports to the old ports of Doha, Manama, Sharjah, Dubai, and Aqaba, the lens was often focused on the prows of boats or parts of their decks, and then on the colored reflections on the water below. The photographer excelled at tracking the undulating and fleeting spots of light, or the shadows of colored objects on the restless, shimmering surface of the water, to capture images through the water's mirror of calligraphy and decorative shapes painted on the surfaces of old boats, or to follow the spiral reflections of a boat's fabric cover, striped in white and blue, as its lines blend with the brown colors of the old vessel's hull. From Amsterdam, crisscrossed by rivers and canals, the reflections of red boats on the dark waters are captured, where shades of green, blue, and gray blend and juxtapose with red to create a vibrant, stimulating tableau, especially when combined into a mural of several photographs, each divided into smaller, square units.
Alongside the aesthetics of the photographs, with their focus on capturing fleeting details and moments, the composition and handling of the artworks are a separate and important aspect. The pieces are mounted on three-dimensional, square wooden panels, shaped like boxes 7.5 cm deep. Each group of photographs is arranged in a mural composed of numerous wooden "boxes" fixed directly to the wall, spaced no more than 2 cm apart. The regular spacing between the boxes holds the mural together, lending it a sense of cohesion and unity.
Through the way the photographs in the "Details" exhibition are prepared, the photograph is no longer confined by the traditional frame, but rather becomes a work that breathes freely, framed without a frame, by the equilateral and deep forms of boxes on the walls. These are liberated works with a modern touch that brings them closer to contemporary taste. They are not confined behind rigid molds like traditional frames, but are readily accessible to our daily lives, able to be placed anywhere—at home or in the office—or ready to take their place on expansive walls, in confined corners, or even on tables or bookshelves.
Hani Hourani's murals can be large or very large, or medium or small. But they are also reconfigurable, square or rectangular, panoramic or vertical. They adapt to their spaces and blend seamlessly into them. In short, they are works that resist monotony, as their pieces can be rearranged or distributed into sections before being reassembled. This approach to preparing the artworks allows them to "furnish" the space with photography, fostering a harmonious relationship with the character of the place without alienation or artificiality. These are works that leave you with no doubt about the "appropriate place" to display them.
It is worth noting that the "Details" exhibition continues at the Ru'a Art Gallery until April 20th.
When Photography "Furnishes" the World Around UsDr. Omar Razzaz, Director General of the Social Security Corporation, inaugurated Hani Hourani's "Details" exhibition at the Ru'a Art Center. The exhibition featured over forty photographic works, most of them in the form of multi-image murals.
Jordanian architecture and nature received special attention in the exhibition. A mural dedicated to the city of Salt, measuring 3.5 meters by 1.5 meters, was a prominent feature. It comprised a panorama composed of sixty pieces, covering the facades of Salt's buildings constructed from the distinctive yellow stone characteristic of traditional Salt architecture. The exhibition also included a mural made up of sections of Petra rocks in shades ranging from reddish-purple to blue, as well as another mural titled "Mosaic of Sand." This latter mural, composed of 45 pieces, measuring two meters wide and one meter high, depicted the details of the undulating sand dunes of Wadi Rum, Wadi Araba, and other desert regions.
Only a few more pieces, measuring two meters wide and one meter high, were used to depict the details of the sand dunes and plateaus of Wadi Rum, Wadi Araba, and other desert regions.
Another theme that occupied a central place in the exhibition was reflections on water, which were the subject of a number of murals and individual photographs. From Venice, Marseille, and other European ports to the old ports of Doha, Manama, Sharjah, Dubai, and Aqaba, the lens was often focused on the prows of boats or parts of their decks, and then on the colored reflections on the water below. The photographer excelled at tracking the undulating and fleeting spots of light, or the shadows of colored objects on the restless, shimmering surface of the water, to capture images through the water's mirror of calligraphy and decorative shapes painted on the surfaces of old boats, or to follow the spiral reflections of a boat's fabric cover, striped in white and blue, as its lines blend with the brown colors of the old vessel's hull. From Amsterdam, crisscrossed by rivers and canals, the reflections of red boats on the dark waters are captured, where shades of green, blue, and gray blend and juxtapose with red to create a vibrant, stimulating tableau, especially when combined into a mural of several photographs, each divided into smaller, square units.
Alongside the aesthetics of the photographs, with their focus on capturing fleeting details and moments, the composition and handling of the artworks are a separate and important aspect. The pieces are mounted on three-dimensional, square wooden panels, shaped like boxes 7.5 cm deep. Each group of photographs is arranged in a mural composed of numerous wooden "boxes" fixed directly to the wall, spaced no more than 2 cm apart. The regular spacing between the boxes holds the mural together, lending it a sense of cohesion and unity.
Through the way the photographs in the "Details" exhibition are prepared, the photograph is no longer confined by the traditional frame, but rather becomes a work that breathes freely, framed without a frame, by the equilateral and deep forms of boxes on the walls. These are liberated works with a modern touch that brings them closer to contemporary taste. They are not confined behind rigid molds like traditional frames, but are readily accessible to our daily lives, able to be placed anywhere—at home or in the office—or ready to take their place on expansive walls, in confined corners, or even on tables or bookshelves.
Hani Hourani's murals can be large or very large, or medium or small. But they are also reconfigurable, square or rectangular, panoramic or vertical. They adapt to their spaces and blend seamlessly into them. In short, they are works that resist monotony, as their pieces can be rearranged or distributed into sections before being reassembled. This approach to preparing the artworks allows them to "furnish" the space with photography, fostering a harmonious relationship with the character of the place without alienation or artificiality. These are works that leave you with no doubt about the "appropriate place" to display them.
It is worth noting that the "Details" exhibition continues at the Ru'a Art Gallery until April 20th.
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