Wael Shawky

Born in Alexandria in 1971, Wael Shawky studied at the University of Alexandria before obtaining an MFA from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. His works, in which the forms of cinema, performance and narrative meet, blend fiction and reality. Through the prism of history and politics, they question myths, spirituality and multiculturalism. His drawings, sculptures, puppets, ceramics and films have been exhibited in numerous international institutions, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi, MOCA Los Angeles, the Merz Foundation in Turin and MoMA P.S.1 in New York. He also took part in the 14th Istanbul Biennale, Documenta 13 in Kassel and the 50th Venice Biennale. He has received the Mario Merz Prize (2015), the Film Prize created by Louis Vuitton and Kino der Kunst (2013), the Abraaj Capital Art Prize (2012), and the Schering Foundation Art Award (2011). He lives and works in Alexandria.