Asma Ghanem

Electronic Musician, Sound Artist

Ramallah, Palestinian Territories

Asma Ghanem is a Palestinian electronic musician and sound artist whose eclectic compositions utilize children’s toys, electronic synthesizers, and urban field recordings. Her pieces are often accompanied by experimental visual scores that speak to Asma’s training as a fine artist. Growing up in a refugee family, Asma loved music but was unable to study formally due to the prohibitive cost of education and constant threat of relocation. While pursuing a degree in visual arts from the International Academy of Art in Palestine, she began to realize her passion for sound. Much of Asma’s work speaks directly to the violence and political turmoil she has witnessed while living in the disputed Palestinian Territories while simultaneously exploring the juxtaposition of the issues in everyday life: gender, romance, humor and mental illness. Asma has participated in exhibitions, residencies and workshops throughout Europe, the Middle East and U.S., and was recently awarded third prize in YAYA 2016 for her experimental music project, “Homeland is…”.