jenna hamed

My great grandmother.

Archival photo restoration project. My grandmother, in Jerusalem, Palestine. Cousins, let me know if you want a print 🖤

My great grandfather in front of his house in Beit Hanina, Jerusalem, Palestine

Writer, illustrator, and researcher Ahmad Nabil is bringing his testimonial of Palestinian folklore to the following cities! This tour is launching the English translation of Ahmad’s book done by Fatema Alhashemi. Presented by The Fiction Council, these intimate readings explore a world where jinns and ghouls, guardians and tricksters, wizards and possessors move through everyday life in the Old City of Jerusalem. Join Ahmad for readings, vivid storytelling, and conversations about craft, memory, and the whisper networks that carry these tales. RSVP links in bio 🌱 #indiepublisher #booktour

Since going freelance & independent, bookfairs are now my ticket to travel. It’s not lost on me what a privilege it is. I was fortunate enough to spend 10 days this past January in the beautiful CDMX (with @keylarql via @letramuertainc ) for the Index art bookfair, and a few days in OAX, where I connected with so many warm and brilliant people, absolutely captivated by the innovation with the publishing and art book scene and the research initiatives and projects happening in Mexico and across Latin America... I also found this new typewriter en español that became part of an impromptu interactive element to our fair table, and is part of my now-ongoing multilingual collection of typewriters… It had been a while since I left the country at the time due to the heavy lift of work I’ve been (willingly) committing to, and not really feeling motivated to travel anywhere else internationally but home. Despite / in light of the woes of traveling as U.S. citizen in a city heavily gentrified (colonized) by people who carry the same passport as me, and still being received by locals with such warmth, I felt a familiar sense as being back in Jerusalem... for all its complications and comforts. Still riding off that energy, and in the midst of many huge projects, I’ll be traveling to LA for the art book fair next week. Super curious to explore what the publishing scene looks like at the west coast “best coast” loll if you’re around, do come by my booth G13, share recs for food, music, beachhh etc. I’ll have books, media, artworks from @jayseveninc as well as friends, collaborators, comrades @letramuertainc @radix.coop @afi.onl @excentrik @book_arts_solidarity to name a fewww❤️‍🔥🌹

Hidden Companions now travels in English 📕🪽 Touring U.S. & London (May–June 2026). Support or share: /project/palestinian-imagination

[Sold out] Join us this Sunday April 26th for a special concert celebrating Umm Kulthum through song and painting, inspired by the exhibition "Mohammad Omer Khalil: Common Ground". Vocalist George Ziadeh will perform one of Umm Kulthum’s classical masterpieces: Hakam ῾Alayna al-Hawa حكم علينا الهوى. The work, emblematic of Arab music’s golden age, will be reinterpreted by Ziadeh and his ensemble. Vocalist Zahra Ali will open the performance with the song, Lughat Al-Zuhoor لغة الزهور. The concert will take inspiration from the upcoming exhibition, Mohammad Omer Khalil: Common Ground, a survey exhibition of works by the New York-based Sudanese artist and master printmaker Mohammed Omer Khalil (b.1936), widely recognized as the first major printmaker from the Arab world. Curated by Amina Ahmed and Jenna Hamed in partnership with the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, the exhibition presents a selection of his paintings and printed works spanning six decades, employing collage and offering a tribute to the scenes, sounds, and syntax that are influential to Khalil’s visual language. Illustration: "Homage to Umm Kulthum" (2013) Mohammad Omer Khalil. Oil, collage on canvas. For tickets, follow link in bio. Featuring: @georgeziadeh @zahrasociology @abushumays @shipditty @firaszreik @johnnyfarraj @johnmurchis @farrarsguitars @amirelsaffar_official @alber.percussion

The Fiction Council (@the_fictioncouncil ) will be on tour once again! This time to launch the english translation of Hidden Companions: Paranormals from the Old City of Jerusalem, co-published with Radix Coop (@radix.coop ). But we need your help. Continuing on the fundraiser campaign launched in Summer of 2025, we are raising funds to cover founder & author/illustrator/researcher Ahmad Nabil’s upcoming travel to the US, and to sustain the organization’s programming. Since launching the campaign, we’ve accomplished our goal of hiring our translator, Fatema Alhashemi (@fattooshe ) and graphic designer, Omaima Dajani (@omaima_dajani ) to layout and design the book. In the past year Ahmad has also traveled to a several cities across Palestine and beyond to share the work through storytelling events, presentations, workshops, book fairs, and so much more! See our campaign page to learn more about what The Fiction Council has been up to, and consider supporting the work. Link in bio! Keep an eye out for the lineup of events, launching soon!

MOHAMMAD OMER KHALIL SELECTS May 5 In collaboration with the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, and in conjunction with the exhibition series “Mohammad Omer Khalil: Common Ground”, Anthology hosts two screenings featuring films that have influenced and inspired Khalil. On view from March 28-May 31, “Common Ground” is a survey exhibition of works by the New York-based Sudanese artist and master printmaker Mohammad Omer Khalil (b.1936), widely recognized as the first major printmaker from the Arab world. Curated by Amina Ahmed and Jenna Hamed in partnership with the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, the exhibition presents a selection of his paintings and printed works spanning six decades, employing collage and offering tribute to the scenes, sounds, and syntax influential to Khalil’s visual language. The multi-venue and multi-city exhibition unfolds across five partner venues including the Blackburn Study Center (New York), Twelve Gates Arts (Philadelphia), Arab American National Museum (Dearborn), Maqām Studio (Brooklyn), and Jay Seven Inc (Brooklyn), alongside a robust series of programs and workshops in partnership with Anthology, The Africa Center, Pratt Institute, and the Queens Museum. Here at Anthology, we will be screening UMM KULTHUM: A VOICE LIKE EGYPT (Michal Goldman, 1996) and THE CHALK GARDEN (Ronald Neame, 1964), two films whose impact on Khalil are reflected in the paintings and prints he has created in tribute to their influence. For more info about the exhibition series and other events visit: /mohammed-omer-khalil Michal Goldman UMM KULTHUM: A VOICE LIKE EGYPT May 5 at 6:15 PM Ronald Neame THE CHALK GARDEN May 5 at 8:45 PM Slide 2: Homage to Umm Kulthum (2013) Oil, collage on canvas Slide 4: Il Giardino Di Gesso (1965) Etching, false bite, aquatint

More programming to celebrate Mohammad Omer Khalil: Common Ground curated by Jenna Hamed and Amina Ahmed. Learn how music and film shaped Khalil’s visual language from rhythm, memory, and narrative. Every Monday through May 25, 1–8PM: Jay Seven Inc. Give Me Your Ear: A Listening & Reading Room This WEDNESDAY APR 21, 7PM at the Blackburn Study Center — Live Music Performance: Songs of Return to a Never Again Home - Alsarah and the Nubatones. @alsarah5000 Sunday, April 26, 2026, 3PM | Maqām Studio | Homage to Umm Kulthum @maqam.studio.nyc Tuesday, May 12, 1PM EST | Brooklyn Rail’s New Social Environment (Online) — Conversation with Mohammad Omer Khalil, Jenna Hamed, Amina Ahmed & Joshua Chee Sanford @brooklynrail Friday, May 15, 11AM | Blackburn Study Center | 1-54 Walkthrough & Archives Tour - Khalil’s work and African artists from the collection. Must have 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair VIP Pass. @154artfair Tuesday, May 5 | Anthology Film Archives | Mohammad Omer Khalil Selects 6:15PM — Umm Kulthum: A Voice Like Egypt (Dir. Michal Goldman) 8:45PM — The Chalk Garden (Dir. Ronald Neame) @anthologyfilmarchives Sunday, May 17 | Queens Museum | New New Yorkers: Reflections from the World Fair Print workshop w. Mohammad Omer Khalil Saturday, May 30 | The Africa Center | Africa Day @theafricacenter Saturday, May 30, 12PM | Blackburn Study Center | An Ode To You: Literary Reading with Daad Sharfi, Dalia Elhassan, Mayada Ibrahim, and Mohammed Zenia Pre-Order Catalog: Mohammad Omer Khalil: Common Ground include the co-curators alongside Bayan Abubakr, Omar Berrada, Amir ElSaffar, Jennifer Farrell, Tumelo Mosaka, Navina Najat Haidar, Ben Rejali, Olivia Shao, Ksenia Nouril, and Sumesh Sharma, as well as Khalil’s family and friends. For more details, visit rbpmw-efanyc.org @teigerfoundation @jennilcrain @j7md @12gates @theafricacenter @jayseveninc @queensmuseum @maqam.studio.nyc @anthologyfilmarchives Programs at the Blackburn Study Center are made possible with major support from Teiger Foundation. The exhibition is also supported by The Jenni Crain Foundation, an initiative dedicated to preserving the legacy of the esteemed artist and curator.

AN ESSENCE | جوهر was a performance held at Letra Muerta in 2023, as part of @j7md solo exhibition. This book is the material result. The sentence that forms the accordion is a verse from a poem written by the artist, printed to the length of the room in which it was conceived: 36 ft. The box design, prepress, and giclée printing were produced under the care of Letra Muerta Inc. The box was fabricated by Liz Castaldo. A catalog of the works was designed and assembled by the artist. Edition of 7, with 4 copies remaining. AN ESSENCE is part of the collections at @uoft and @Yale . Jenna Hamed is an artist and art worker based in Queens, New York, born and raised in metro Detroit, with roots in Jerusalem, Palestine. She received her bachelor’s degree in Fashion and Fine Art from Eastern Michigan University and a master’s degree in Arts Politics from NYU. In 2024, she founded @jayseveninc , a collaborative studio-gallery in Brooklyn dedicated to producing installations and publishing initiatives. Photos @samorius Portrait by @jonyfin

In awe of the survey of seminal Sudanese artist Mohammad Omer Khalil. Grateful to the amazing curators Jenna Hamed and Amina Ahmed for the intimate Reading & Listening Room at @jayseveninc (open Mondays 1-8PM), and the chance to spend time with a living legend. Part of ‘Common Ground’, spanning Blackburn Study Center, Twelve Gates Arts (Philly), and satellite exhibitions at Maqam Studio (Brooklyn), and the Arab American National Museum (Dearborn, MI), with displays at the New York Public Library and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Khalil shared how, in Sudan, Fridays meant the resonating voice of Egyptian songstress Umm Kulthūm would fill the airways; music he once resisted until seeing her live. After that, he’d turn the volume all the way up: “listening to her was like listening to Bob Dylan [for Americans].” Between laughter and necessary silences, we listened to Arab and African sounds on vinyl, sipped tea, and ate dates. As part of the multitude of activations happening in light of the ‘Common Ground’ exhibition series; and in echo with Khalil’s collage painting, “Homage to Umm Kalthoum” (2013) ; join these scheduled programs: 
Maqām Studio — Sunday, April 26, 3PM
A live tribute with vocalist George Ziadeh, reinterpreting the 13th-century quatrains of the Persian poet Omar Khayyam and the final song Umm Kulthum performed in 1973; guiding listeners into tarab, that state of musical enchantment. Anthology Film Archive — May 5 at 6:15PM This documentary follows the rise to widespread fame of Egyptian singer Umm Kūlthum: most powerful voices in Egypt and across the Arab world.