An Artist Talk by Ahmed Shawky Hassan

Ahmed Shawky Hassan (born 1989, Ismailia, Egypt) is an artist and writer whose practice explores the impact of historical and contemporary narratives on shaping dominant perceptions in the arts. His work investigates how these narratives spread, questioning the authority that contributes to their establishment. He employs diverse mediums, including texts, sculptures, videos, photographs, drawings, installations and books.

In 2024, he received the Egyptian Ministry of Culture’s State Encouragement Award for his book Video Museum (2020). His novel The Collapse of the Contemporary Art Factory (2022) was supported by the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture and published by Al-Mahrousa Publishing. He has also won several international awards, including a research trip to Switzerland (Pro Helvetia, 2018) and an artist residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris (French Institute, 2017).

Hassan has held several solo exhibitions that highlight his research and artistic projects, including Exhibition at the Ard Foundation for the Arts in Cairo in 2023, Inauguration at the Sharjah Art Gallery at The American University in Cairo in 2019, and An Object Resembling an Artwork at Townhouse Gallery in Cairo in 2017.