Biography
Ahmed El Shaer is a contemporary artist born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1981 who currently lives and works in New York, USA. El Shaer is a multi-disciplinary artist whose practice spans the mediums of installation, photography, sound, and moving images, with a particular interest in new technologies. holds a B.F.A. from the Faculty of Art and Education and is currently a Ph.D. student at the computing and games department at Abertay University, Scotland, UK. He exhibited in various international art venues, including the 56th Venice Biennal, Venice, Italy (2015). Bamako Biennale and Bamako-Mali (2011) Cairotronica New Media Festival, Cairo, Egypt Sanctioned Array, White Box, New York, USA (2010) Solo show at the Museum of the Moving Image, New York, USA (2019) Rencontres Internationales Festival Paris/Berlin: Represent Egypt at the 59th Venice Biennale 2022.
El Shaer was awarded several times, including the Fulbright fellowship in Los Angeles at UCLA Game Lab 2018, the Salon of Youth Honor Award in 2002, the first in media in 2003, and the first in media art in 2013 in Cairo, Egypt. He was granted several artists in residence programs: Prohelvetia, Zurich, 2009; Cite Internationale D’Arte Paris, invited by the French Institute, France, 2016; and ArtOMI RESIDENCY, New York, USA, 2012.
His work is in public collections, including New Cinema in Paris, France, and the Museum of Modern Art in Cairo, Egypt. His works have been featured in several publications, including Contemporary Practices Magazine, Hanan al-Cinema Affections for the Moving Image, and MIT Press. By Laura U. Marks
Co-curates:
“Cairo Documenta 2010–2012”.
“Long Saturday” during the program (Window to the orient “Cairo”) at “Bündner Kunstmuseum”,
Chur, Switzerland, 2013.
Curate:
“Intersecting Lines,” a group exhibition, Cairo, 2012.
“Video Game – Video Art” workshop in Jesuits Alexandria 2012.
Education
2002 B.F.A., Faculty of Art and Education, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt.
2006 Certificate of Video Game/ Video Art, Summer Academy for Fine art, Salzburg-Austria.
2007 Certificate of Video Art By Artist Vale Export, Summer Academy for Fine art, Salzburg-Austria.
Exhibitions
2024
“Flash Memories and other Affairs,” part of NOISE Art Fair, at Palais Festetics in Vienna, curated by Wizara.
“AI Heaven,” New Waves in Art and Technology, Harvestworks Digital Media Arts Centre in Governors Island, New York, USA, curated by Carol Parkinson.
“The Conceptual Olympics,” a group exhibition labelled Cultural Olympiad by Paris 2024, will be on display in the rooms of the Château de Montsoreau—Museum of Contemporary Art.
“The Narrative,” Sonica festival 2024 for New Media Arts, Glasgow, UK, curated by Cathie Boyd.
2023
“AI Heaven”, Sonica festival for New Media Arts, Glasgow, UK, curated by Cathie Boyd.
“Eden like Garden”, group exhibition curated by:Wilhelm Koch, Luftmuseum, Germany
“Nexus”, group exhibition, “Eden Like Garden,” curated by: Michaela and Bruno Wank, Verpackerei Gö gallery, Germany.
Chiselling Pixels, Wizara’s exhibition, Art Dubai Digital, Dubai, UAE.
2022
AIX Art Gallery, group exhibition, “AI Heaven” video animation, the TechQualia gallery, Sultan Hussein Kamel Palace, curated by: Dina Jereidini, Cairo, Egypt
The 59th Venice Biennale, “Eden Like Garden,” represents Egypt in the Egyptian Pavilion, curated by: the Egyptian Culture Ministry, Venice, Italy.
2021
“Spring Break Art Show”, Eyes on Heaven project, curated by Sara Angel Guerrero, NYC-USA.
“ITP Spring Show” Group Exhibition, curated by NYU, New York-USA.
“Miscegenation: On That One Photograph“, curated by Khaled Hafez / Cairo Curatorial Collective (CCC), as part of Cairo Photo Week, organized by Photopia, Cairo, Egypt.
Cairotronica International Festival of Electronic and New Media Arts in Cairo, curated by Haytham Nawar, Cairo- Egypt.
“Technocrat” Group Exhibition, Project “Tracker”, curated by Hana El Beblawy, Cairo-Egypt.
2020
“ITP Winter Show” Group Exhibition, curated by NYU, New York-USA.
2019
Reimagined Narratives, Group Exhibition, the project “Hybrid Spaces and Other Objects,”, VR and sculpture, curated by Art D’Egypt
Group Exhibition “In the other side of the Nile”, the project “Hybrid Spaces”, at TCC (Tahrir Culture
Center), AUC, Cairo, Egypt, Curated by: Mahmoud Hamdi
Crossover (the Scene), solo show, Museum of Moving Image, New York, USA, curated by: Sara Angel.
2018
Interference Festival 2018, Tunisia
31st Festival Les Instants Vidéo Marcelle, France
The Overkill Festival, nominated by curator Isabelle Arvers. The Netherlands.
MADATAC 09 Festival, SECCIÓN MONOGRAFÍAS: EGIPTO, Nominted by Medrar for
Contemporary art, Mena el Shazly, Spain
Cairotronica Festival for Media Arts, Curated by: Haytham Nawar, Cairo-Egypt
Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin Festival, Centre Pompidou
Biennale Festival of Portraits, from September 17 to November 2, 2018, Tuzla-Bosnia
2017
Art Game Demos, -Festival Nuage Numérique, Nominated by Isabelle Arvers, Lyon-France
Inaugurazione Mediterranean Seeds, BJCEM-Biennale, Turin, Italy.
Di_Egy Festival for New Media Arts, Darb 1718, Curated by Weam El Masry
2016
Fak’ugesi African Digital Innovation Festival, The Rotating Exhibition Room, South Africa.
CairoTronica Festival for Media Arts, Palace of Art, Cairo, Egypt
Screening at Cite International d’Art, Paris, France
2015
UCLA Video Game art Festival at Hammer Museum, Curators: Eddo Stern, Isabelle Arvers, and
Lee Tusman.
Unplace, “Networked art place-between-places “ online exhibition, Curators: António Pinto
Ribeiro and Rita Xavier Monteiro, with the collaboration of Helena Barranha, Susana S, Martins
and Raquel Pereira.
“In the Eye of the Thunderstorm” Collateral Event, 56th Venice Biennale, Curator:
Martina Corgnati, Venice, Italy
Ritornello, Sound Art Exhibition, Darb1718, Curated by: Kathrin Oberrauch, Egypt
2014
ISEA 2014, 20th International Symposium On Electronic Art, Zayed University, Dubai, UAE
2 Generations, Cube Gallery, Dubai, U.A.E.
Happen Now, NABAD Gallery, Amman, Jordan.
ARAB GLITCH, curated by Laura Marks, Rochester University, New York, USA.
Maspero II: The Sequel, Darb 1718, Cairo, Egypt.
2013
Long Saturday, Bündner Kunstmuseum, Chur, Switzerland.
CYNETART-FESTIVAL: Open Lab Egypt, Hipster Phone Interactive, Dresden, Germany
Roznama 2, Medrar Art Centre, Cairo, Egypt.
Wavy banners 2013, Humlum og Sdr., Nissum, Denmark.
Emotional Intelligence Artificial, DE-CAf Festival, InterLAB Interactive Arts, Cairo,
Egypt, in cooperation with the Kazoosh Group in Dresden, Germany.
Back to Square One, Lopez Memorial Museum, Manila, Philippines
2012
Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin/Madrid
IDEOAKT International Video art Biennial
Liberation: Process Review, Havremagasinet Museum, Boden, Sweden.
Identity, Otherness, Games & Machinima, Festival Gamerz, Marseille, France
The Impossible Black Tulip of Cartography, Impact Festival, Amsterdam, Netherland.
Image Contre Nature: 12th international festival of experimental video, Marseille, France
Athina Art International Festival, Izmail, Ukraine
Cairo Documenta 2, Cairo, Egypt.
2011
After the Rage, Beton7 Art Centre, Athena, Greece
Disconnect, Town House Gallery, Cairo, Egypt
Bamako Biennale, National Museum, Bamako, Mali
The Changing Room: Arab Reflections on Praxis and Times, Spazio Cubi, Turin, Italy
VIDEOAKT: International Video Biennale, Salt Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
Presidents Remix, Salt Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey.
The Oakland Standard, Contemporary Arab Video Encounter (CAVE), Oakland Museum, California, USA.
2010
Cairo Documenta 1, interactive game, Cairo, Egypt
Sanctioned Array video project, white box, New York, USA
IN/FLUX @ Museet for Samtidskunst, Roskilde, Denmark
50JPG: The Revenge of the Archive & The Presidents: Remix, Blancpain Art Contemporain in
collaboration with the Centre of Photography Geneva, http://www.blancpain-artcontemporain.ch
Living Spaces: The 2nd All Art Now Festival for Contemporary Arts, Damascus, Syria
IN/FLUX: Awkward Conversations, The 17th New York African Film Festival, New Museum and
Axis Gallery, New York, USA
2009
Undercurrent, Art Sawa Gallery, Dubai, UAE.
CIGE 2009: China International Gallery Exhibition, China
Fugitive Video Project 2009 International Festival for Alternative Film and Video, Dublin and
Mantua, Ireland, and the UK.
MidEast Cut, International Festival for Alternative Film and Video, Denmark and Finland
All Art Now: 1st International Video Art Festival, Several Locations, Damascus, Syria
Cairo-Alicante Media Art Encounter, Alicante Art Centre, Alicante, Spain
2008
Cairo: Alicante Media Art Workshop, Guezira Art Centre, Cairo, Egypt.
ÖREBRO INTERNATIONAL VIDEOART FESTIVAL, Sweden.
Biacs3: Biennale de Arte Contemporáneo de Seville, Spain
Daleky Blizky Vychod 2008: Festival for short Films, Bratislava, Slovakia
Biennial of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean (BJCEM), Bari, Italy
2007
Group Exhibition, Summer Academy for Fine Arts, Salzburg, Austria
2nd International Salon of Young Artists, Alexandria Atelier
After Urban: Video Art & Architecture Festival, University of Pennsylvania
2006
Group Exhibition, Summer Academy for Fine Arts, Salzburg, Austria
2nd Rencontres de L’Image, French Institute, Cairo, Egypt
1st International Festival for Short Films, French Culture Centre, Port Said, Egypt.
2005
Form through Light II, Palace of the Arts, Cairo, Egypt
2004
Form through light, Palace of the Arts, Cairo, Egypt.
Solo Exhibitions
02/2019 Crossover (the Scene), Museum of Moving Image, New York, USA,
Curated by: Sara Angel
01/2018 Hybrid Spaces, Medrar Art Center, Cairo, Egypt
06/2015 Think Tank, Video Installation, Fine Art Museum, Alexandria, Egypt, Curated by:
Rabab Nawar.
05/2014: Green, Video Installation, ArtEllewa Art Space, Cairo, Egypt.
01/2013: Repetition in Action Time, Guezira Art Center, Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt
10/2012, 8-bit portrait, Mashrabia Gallery, Cairo, Egypt.
12/2009 Meine Zurich, F+F School for Art & Media Design, Zurich, Switzerland
06/2009 Under Examination, Guezira Art Center, Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt
08/2007 Ahmed El Shaer: One Year Later, ALCATRAZ Gallery, Summer Academy, Salzburg,
Austria.
05/2007 Ahmed El Shaer: New Works, Cairo Atelier, Cairo – Egypt
07/2006 Ahmed El Shaer: New Works, ALCATRAZ Gallery, Summer Academy, Salzburg,
Austria.
2005 Conversation, Guezira Art Center, Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt
Grants
2018/2019 Fulbright Grant for 2018-2019
06/2011 International Visitor Program of the State Department, USA
08/2007 Salzburg Summer Academy for Fine Arts, studio of Vale Export, Austria.
07/2006 Salzburg Summer Academy for Fine Arts, studio of Fung Ming Bo, Austria
Artist in Residence
05-2023: Botkyrka Konsthall, invited by Curator Anneli Bäckman, Sweden.
01-03-2016: Cite International d’Arte Paris, invited by the French Institute, France
06-07-2012, ART OMI RESIDENCE, NEW YORK, USA
10-12 / 2009 Prohelvetia Artist in Residence for Three Months at F+F School for Art and Media
Design Zurich, Switzerland
Awards
11/2013 Salon Prize in Media Art, 24th Salon of Young Artists
09/2003: First Prize in Media Art, 15th Salon of Young Artists
09/2002 Honor Prize, Media Art, 14th Salon of Young Artists