-A catalog of works by artists born in the Arab world-
Wael Shawky (born 1971) is an Egyptian film director and artist.
This is the catalog from Shawky's 2013 exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery in London, England. It contains numerous drawings and three short stories about Egypt, his home country.
The gallery exhibition also featured a screening of the video work "The Crusades," along with the puppets used in the film and paintings by Shawky. Presenting a historical narrative from a new perspective, "The Crusades" sparked global debate. It depicts the recapture of the Holy Land from an Arab perspective, rather than a European one. The effective use of Arabic language and folk music makes it a captivating work.
The puppets in the video are made of Venetian glass, ceramics, and leather, and have bizarre shapes, but they are made appealing by the use of various textiles. Shawky says, "With puppets, the audience can more purely accept the story and project themselves onto them." Towards the end of the story, the boundaries between Islam and Christianity become blurred, while the wires that support the puppets become increasingly prominent, as if they are being manipulated by those in power.
If you're interested in Arab culture, puppetry, or movies, try searching for "wael shawky" on YouTube. You'll find several short films. I'm really looking forward to the day when these are released on DVD and I can own them. Arab films aren't widely available in Japan, so these are valuable resources.
Thank you for reading. Goodbye for now. Take care :)
Author: Wael Shawky Hardback: 138p Publisher: Sharjah Art Foundation, Serpentine Galleries and Koenig Books
First reading completed on 2013/7/30
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