Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art at Qatar Foundation presents Wael Shawky: Crusades and Other Stories, a major solo exhibition by internationally acclaimed Egyptian artist Wael Shawky, which will run from 17 March – 16 August 2015.
Presented by Qatar Museums under the leadership of its Chairperson, HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the exhibition is curated by Abdellah Karroum, Director of Mathaf.
Occupying the atrium and ground floor galleries at Mathaf, Shawky presents large-scale installations of two film trilogies – Cabaret Crusades (2010 – 2015) and Al Araba Al Madfuna (2012 – 2015). The three films that make up Cabaret Crusades were produced over a period of four years, the most recent being commissioned by Qatar Museums in 2014 as part of its focus on art, creativity and heritage. The script and structure of the film series Cabaret Crusades draw on sources of writing from the period as presented in Amin Maalouf’s The Crusades Through Arab Eyes (1983), referencing the historical fight for power that is still present today.
The exhibition will also premiere a new film commissioned by Mathaf for the exhibition, completing the three-part series, Al Araba Al Madfuna (2012 – 2015), a re-telling of the stories of Egyptian novelist Mohamed Mustagab.
Also included is a selection of marionettes (puppets) from the Cabaret Crusades and drawings from both video trilogies. The architecture and scenography produced for Mathaf creates an original atmosphere that combine the artist’s references of history, literature and cinema, through which other stories are imagined.
Abdellah Karroum, Director of Mathaf and curator of the exhibition, said:
“Wael Shawky touches on subjects of history and political and social change, while re-thinking models of artistic practice to invent new visual languages. His films, installations, and performances explore histories of culture and literature in the contemporary moment by recreating written and oral testaments of societal, economic, and political change.”
A fully illustrated bilingual Arabic-English exhibition catalogue will be published by Mathaf. The publication will contain an interview with Wael Shawky conducted by Abdellah Karroum and essays, providing insight into the artistic process of Wael Shawky.
About Wael Shawky
Wael Shawky was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1971. His practice spanning video, drawing, and performance are in-depth productions about the way history and mythology are written, offering crucial perspectives on contemporary narratives of uncertainty and change. Shawky is a major artist of his generation, developing an original art vocabulary dealing with global aesthetic and political issues. His work is exhibited internationally, most recently in solo exhibitions at MoMA PS1, New York (2015); K20, Düsseldorf (2014); Serpentine Gallery, London (2013); KW Berlin (2012); and large scale group exhibitions including Sharjah Biennial (2013); and dOCUMENTA (13) (2012). His work is collected by public institutions such as MoMA, New York, MACBA, Barcelona, and Qatar Museums, Doha.
Wael Shawky: Crusades and Other Stories
Exhibition at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Qatar Foundation, Doha
17 March – 16 August 2015
Curator: Abdellah Karroum
Assistant Curator: Laura Barlow
To find out more about all upcoming events presented by Qatar Museums, visit http://www.qm.org.qa/en
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