240:
In 2017, Wael Shawky premiered his latest project 'Song of Roland: The Arabic
Version' at the opening of Theater der Welt 2017 in Hamburg, German. The large musical and theatrical installation translates the epic French verse 'La Chanson de Roland' into classic Arabic and features performances by 25
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Based on extensive periods of research and enquiry, Wael Shawky’s work tackles notions of national, religious and artistic identity through film, performance and storytelling. Shawky frames contemporary culture through the lens of historical tradition and vice versa. Mixing truth and fiction,
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In 2017, Shawky undertook a residency at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, in partnership with the Fire
Station, in Doha, Qatar, where he conducted research for his first feature-length film on the history of oil production in the
144:, Wael takes as his subject the complex historical and sociopolitical narratives surrounding the Christian Holy Wars. The series began in 2010 and was finally completed in January 2015, when it premiered at MoMA P.S.1, New York.
102:. In 2012 he exhibited at dOCUMENTA (13) in Kassel, Germany where he premiered the second part of Cabareh Crusades (The Path to Cairo) and became internationally renowned. In 2013, he created a live performance piece for the
170:. Shawky's films depict various historical accounts in an attempt to provide and illustrate an Arab perspective on the Crusades (from 1095 to 1204). All the characters in Shawky's three films are played by
95:
childlike wonder and spiritual doctrine, Shawky has staged epic recreations of the medieval clashes between
Muslims and Christians in his trilogy of puppets and marionettes.
641:
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2007 Then you will return to me and I will judge between you in the matters in which you used to dispute, Kunsthalle
Winterthur, Winterthur, Switzerland
34:
through a Middle
Eastern lens. Shawky has won many awards and prizes for his work, including the Ernst Schering Foundation Art Award in 2011 and the
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in London held a solo exhibition of his work. Shawky's works can be found in numerous public collections, most notably: the
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devotional music with words borrowed from the curatorial statement of the
Biennial. Shawky went on to receive the
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2007 The Forty Days Road, Wet
Culture – Dry Culture, Galeria Sztuki Wspolczesnej, Bunkier Sztukim, Krakow, Poland
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2017 The Song of Roland: The Arabic
Version, Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam, Holland Festival, Amsterdam, Holland
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2023 In the Heart of
Another Country: The Diasporic Imagination Rises, Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah, UAE
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178:, featured marionettes made of clay - a material believed to be what humans are made of according to the
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2018 The Song of Roland: The Arabic
Version, The Theater an der Wien, The Opera House, Vienna, Austria
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2007 Telematch Sadat/Telematch Market/Al Aqsa Park, Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg, Brussels, Belgium
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2014 Horsemen Adore Perfumes and Other Stories, Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
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2013 Cabaret Crusades: The Path to Cairo, Pinault Collection, Teatrino Palazzo Grassi, Venice, Italy
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2011 Drawings and Flags from Cabaret Crusades, Walker Art Gallery, National Museums, Liverpool, UK
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2018 The Song of Roland: The Arabic Version, Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
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2011 Artist-in-Residence, Center for Possible Studies, Serpentine Gallery, London, United Kingdom
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2004 International Award of the Islamic World Arts Initiative, Arts International, New York, USA
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from his 'Dictums' series, where 30 workers (primarily of Pakistani descent) sing a song in
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In 2016, Shawky had solo shows at the Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria, The Fondazione Merz and
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2014 Cabaret Crusades, K20 Museum: Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Dusseldorf, Germany
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2017 The Song of Roland: The Arabic Version, Theatre de Welt, Kampnagel, Hamburg, Germany
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2005 International Commissioning Grant, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, New York, USA
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2015 Cabaret Crusades trilogy screenings, Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
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2015 Cabaret Crusades: The Secrets of Karbala, Sfeir Semler Karantina, Beirut, Lebanon.
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642:"The UAE and majahim camels are at the centre of Wael Shawky's film Dictums: Manqia I"
558:"Wael Shawky at the Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art, Turin - purple ART"
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1994 Grand Akhenaten Prize, Salon of Youth 6th, Akhenaten Centre of Arts, Cairo, Egypt
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42:. He is represented by Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Galleria Lia Rumma and Lisson Gallery.
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2002 When he decided to visit the Christmas village, Townhouse Gallery, Cairo, Egypt
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2013 Cabaret Crusades: The Horror Show File, The Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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2017 The Song of Roland: The Arabic Version, Onasis cultural center, Athens, Greece
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2013 Prize of Sharjah Biennale 11th, for dictums 10:120, Performance, Sharjah, UAE
30:. Shawky gained international recognition for his works that trace the history of
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2007 Al Aqsa Park, YAMA, digital screen on top of Marmara Hotel, Istanbul, Turkey
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2019 Look for Me All Around You, Sharjah Biennial 14, Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE
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2014 Al Araba Al Madfuna II, Festwochen-Zentrum im Künstlerhaus, Vienna, Austria
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2018 The Crusades and Current Stories, ARoS, Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Aarhus, Denmark
293:
2022 Cabaret Crusades: The Horror Show File, Tate Modern, London, United Kingdom
739:"Interview: Egyptian artist Wael Shawky on faith, oil, politics – and puppetry"
386:
2015 Crusades and Other Stories, MATHAF: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar
374:
2016 Wael Shawky, Al Araba Al Madfuna III, Fondazione Merz, Zurich, Switzerland
275:
2023 I Am Hymns of the New Temples, Pompeii Archaeological Park, Pompeii, Italy
133:
In 2015, Shawky had an exhibition entitled "Crusades and Other Stories" at the
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2013 Louis Vuitton and Kino der Kunst Award for Filmic Oeuvre, Munich, Germany
362:
2017 Cabaret Crusades trilogy screening, Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, USA
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2017 Al Araba Al Madfuna III, Saints Euno and Giuliano Church, Palermo, Sicily
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2017 Cabaret Crusades: The Path to Cairo, Palazzo Branciforte, Palermo, Sicily
353:
2017 Focus on Wael Shawky, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece
171:
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23:
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2011 Kunstpreis der Schering Stiftung, Kunst-Werke Institute, Berlin, Germany
431:
2010 Contemporary Myths, Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto, Biella, Italy
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2017 Al Araba Al Madfuna, Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Yinchaun, China
272:
2023 I am Hymns of the New Temples, Sfeir-Semler Karantina, Beirut, Lebanon
869:
856:"Wael Shawky's Epic Films Will Completely Change How You See the Crusades"
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2005 The Green Land Circus, Factory Space, Townhouse Gallery, Cairo, Egypt
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2023 MACBA Collection. Prelude. Poetic Intention, MACBA, Barcelona, Spain
31:
119:
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2000 Piero Dorazio Award, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
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2013 al-Qurban/The Offering, Serpentine Gallery, London, United Kingdom
296:
Alexandria: Past Futures, Bozar Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels, Belgium
107:
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1996 Grand Nile Prize, International Cairo Biennial 6th, Cairo, Egypt
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2011 Wael Shawky, Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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2023 In The Heart of Another Country, Deichtorhallen Hamburg, Germany
242:
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which is the first independent studio programme for young artists in
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2007 Telematch Sadat/Al Aqsa Park, Hebbel am Ufer 3, Berlin, Germany
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2012 Al Araba Al Madfuna, KW: Kunst-Werke Institute, Berlin, Germany
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2018 Al Araba Al Madfuna III, Galerie Sfeir-Semler, Hamburg, Germany
299:
2021 FOCUS: Wael Shawky, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas, USA
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2001 Honorary Award, Rita Longa International, Codema, Bayamo, Cuba
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2010 Contemporary Myths II, Sfeir-Semler Karantina, Beirut, Lebanon
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2018 Al Araba Al Madfuna III, St. Elmo Exam Center, Valletta, Malta
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2007 Digital Church, Collective Gallery, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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2013 Wael Shawky, Art Gallery of York University, Toronto, Canada
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2017 Focus on Wael Shawky, Onasis Cultural Center, Athens, Greece
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2019 Gohyang: Home, SeMA, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
269:
2024 Egyptian Pavillon, La Biennale Di Venezia 2024 (forthcoming)
1043:"Cabaret Crusades: The Secrets of Karbala, Sfeir-Semler Gallery"
302:
2019 Al Araba Al Madfuna, The Polygon Gallery, Vancouver, Canada
222:
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2005 Wael Shawky, Ludwigsburg Kunstverein, Ludwigsburg, Germany
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2001 Sidi El Asphalt’s Moulid, Townhouse Gallery, Cairo, Egypt
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2009 Grand Prize, 25th Alexandria Biennale, Alexandria, Cairo
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2018 Beyond Borders, Boghossian Foundation, Brussels, Belgium
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2018 Cabaret Crusades, Gangwon international BIENNALE, Korea
831:'The Return of the Strings', Boris Groys, Parkett, 95, 2014
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2017 The Honorary Citizenship of the City of Palermo, Italy
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583:"In the Studio: Wael Shawky - Magazine - Art in America"
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2004 American Center Foundation Grant, Philadelphia, USA
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2006 Drawings 1998–2006, Townhouse Gallery, Cairo, Egypt
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2009 Larvae Channel 2, Project Gentili, Berlin, Germany
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2016 Wael Shawky. Drawing, Lisson Gallery, Milan, Italy
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2016 Al Araba Al Madfuna, Fondazione Merz, Turin, Italy
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2016 Cabaret Crusades, Castello di Rivoli, Turin, Italy
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2023 Alexandria: Past Futures, MUCEM, Marseille, France
256:
In 2024, Shawky was selected to represent Egypt at the
787:"MoMA PS1: Exhibitions: Wael Shawky: Cabaret Crusades"
1015:"I am Hymns of the New Temples, Sfeir-Semler Gallery"
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2003 Asphalt Quarter, Townhouse Gallery, Cairo, Egypt
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2007 Telematch Sadat, San Matteo Church, Lucca, Italy
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2016 Wael Shawky, Kunsthaus Bregenz, Bregenz, Austria
407:
2013 Cabaret Crusades, Ludwig Forum, Aachen, Germany
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2014 Dictums, Lisson Gallery, London, United Kingdom
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2022 Dry Culture Wet Culture, Museum Leuven, Belgium
870:"Wael Shawky: Crusades and Other Stories at Mathaf"
809:
Art Review, October 2016, Accessed 23 November 2016
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597:"Wael Shawky_Al Araba Al Madfuna - Fondazione Merz"
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2009 Clean History, Townhouse Gallery, Cairo, Egypt
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2011 Larvae Channel, Delfina Foundation, London, UK
320:2018 Wael Shawky, Lia Rumma Gallery, Naples, Italy
174:and feature classical Arabic. The second episode,
22:(born 1971) is an Egyptian artist working between
763:"Wael Shawky: Crusades and Other Stories | Artsy"
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1029:"Al Araba Al Madfuna III, Sfeir-Semler Gallery"
482:2001 Transitions, Ashkal Alwan, Beirut, Lebanon
443:2009 Wael Shawky, Darat al Funun, Amman, Jordan
98:In 2011, Shawky presented his work at the 12th
383:2015 Cabaret Crusades, MoMA PS1, New York, USA
1057:"Contemporary Myths II, Sfeir-Semler Gallery"
991:"Wael Shawky | Exhibitions | Lisson Gallery"
919:"'Telematch Sadat', Wael Shawky, 2007 | Tate"
8:
314:2018 Crude, Jameel Arts Center, Dubai, UAE
507:2012 Abraaj Capital Art Prize, Dubai, UAE
253:. Filming for the project began in 2018.
70:when he was 13. He holds an MFA from the
685:"Wael Shawky | Artists | Lisson Gallery"
666:"Wael Shawky - Artists - Lisson Gallery"
519:2007 Ford Foundation Grant, Cairo, Egypt
549:
118:for the work In 2010, Shawky launched
160:, loosely inspired by Lebanese writer
818:Sameer Rahim, 'Pulling the Strings',
7:
967:"projects - Sharjah Art Foundation"
498:2015 Mario Merz Prize, Turino, Italy
38:Prize (2015) for his film trilogy,
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135:Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art
140:In his ambitious film trilogy,
58:in 1971 and spent his youth in
167:The Crusades Through Arab Eyes
1:
737:Spence, Rachel (2013-11-29).
943:"Theater der Welt - artist"
199:Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
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211:National Gallery of Canada
78:, USA, and a BFA from the
72:University of Pennsylvania
148:consists of three films:
727:Art Review, October 2016
46:Early life and education
894:"Search the Collection"
233:. He is represented by
611:"Sfeir-Semler Gallery"
158:The Secrets of Karbala
116:Sharjah Biennial prize
995:www.lissongallery.com
947:www.theaterderwelt.de
689:www.lissongallery.com
80:Alexandria University
258:60th Venice Biennale
195:Serpentine Galleries
150:The Horror Show File
66:before returning to
50:Shawky was born in
40:Al Araba Al Madfuna
193:, Italy. In 2014,
187:Castello di Rivoli
874:www.mathaf.org.qa
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564:. 2016-11-16
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76:Philadelphia
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32:the Crusades
28:Philadelphia
19:
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1081:1971 births
791:momaps1.org
264:Exhibitions
172:marionettes
20:Wael Shawky
1070:Categories
1000:2017-01-10
976:2017-07-06
952:2017-07-06
928:2018-02-28
903:2018-02-28
879:2018-02-28
796:2017-04-01
772:2022-02-03
748:2018-02-28
694:2017-04-01
651:2018-02-28
568:2018-02-28
545:References
221:, and the
189:, both in
124:Alexandria
52:Alexandria
36:Mario Merz
24:Alexandria
245:singers.
820:Apollo,
243:fidjeri
108:qawwali
917:Tate.
562:Purple
490:Awards
227:London
219:Canada
215:Ottawa
209:, the
180:Qu'ran
156:, and
90:Career
64:Saudia
225:, in
213:, in
201:, in
191:Turin
128:Egypt
84:Egypt
68:Egypt
60:Mecca
56:Egypt
923:Tate
112:Sufi
26:and
164:'s
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