PIERMARQ* is pleased to present Jidu and Sitto, by Australian artist, Angus Hamra, on view from 6 to 22 November 2025, with an opening reception on 6 November from 6-8PM. This is Hamra’s first exhibition at PIERMARQ* in Sydney.
The exhibition is rooted in personal history and collective memory, taking its title from the Arabic words for grandfather (Jidu) and grandmother (Sitto), and draws on a recently discovered archive of photographs taken in 1958 by Hamra’s great-aunt during an extended family trip across Europe and the Middle East. The photographs document a pilgrimage of sorts: a return journey by Hamra’s great-grandparents, George and Marie Hamra, to their homeland of Lebanon, more than three decades after emigrating to Australia in the wake of the First World War. In 7 works of oil on polycotton, Hamra revisits this mid-century journey through the lens of contemporary painting, reconstructing not only the visual record but also the emotional resonance of his ancestors’ return. “The process of painting my extended family has been an unexpected journey through a time in their lives,” Hamra reflects, “and on some level brought me closer to them.”
Hamra is known for his refined painterly approach to both portraiture and landscape. His work navigates the intersection of personal narrative, cultural identity, and place, using unconventional oil techniques, such as large brooms, rakes and rags to render expressive gestures and moments of introspection and shared history. In Jidu and Sitto, he continues this exploration with depth and intimacy, combining archival material with interpretive brushwork that resonates quiet emotional power and technical sophistication.
Angus Hamra holds a Bachelor of Architectural Studies from the University of South Australia and a Master of Contemporary Art from the Victorian College of the Arts. Hamra lives and works in Melbourne, Australia.