Notes

El-Masry explores the challenges faced by Egyptian women today using figuration, animal imagery, and the symbolism of feminine items such as high heels in her work. El-Masry's figures are big and voluptuous in an attempt to assert themselves in space and time, despite the attempts to be consumed by society by way of local oxen or other crushing male forces. Oftentimes whimsical and sometimes dark, El-Masry's work is an attempt to carve out and assert the space and place of being a woman in Egyptian society, all the while exploring femininity and the desire to ensure women's rights remain despite society's attempts to oppress or eliminate them.

Weaam El-Masry is an Egyptian Cairo-based multi-award-winning visual artist. She holds a PhD in media art from the Faculty of Applied Arts at Helwan University in Helwan, Egypt. She is currently working as a lecturer at the Faculty of Arts & Design, MSA University in 6^th. October City, Egypt and is a curator and co-founder of Easel and Camera, a contemporary art gallery located in Egypt.

El-Masry is also a painter, who at times moves to photography, animation, and installation. Her work has been exhibited at galleries, festivals, art fairs, biennales, and museums locally and internationally, notably the 59^th Venice Biennale (2022); Egypt International Art Fair (2020); Sixth Silk Road International Arts Festival, Shaanxi Provincial Museum of Fine Arts, China (2019); Beirut Art Fair (2018); Biblical Book and Book-Object Biennale, 1st edition, National Literary Museum, Bucharest, Romania (2018); 10th Luxor International Painting Symposium; Egyptian Ministry Of Culture (through its Cultural Development Fund), Luxor, Egypt (2017); Florence Biennale, Italy (2015); 5th Beijing International Art Biennale, China (2012); One Minute Film & Video Festival in Aarau, Switzerland (2008); Egyptian Museum of Contemporary Art; and many group and solo exhibitions in Egypt and abroad.

With more than 25 awards and scholarships from different institutions in Egypt and abroad; including but not limited to UNESCO-Aschberg Bursaries for Artists (2012); Culture Resource Award for Artistic Production for Young Arab Artists & Writers - the Arab region (2006); D.A.A.D, Germany (2005-2006); Pro-Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council (2010); Alexandria library, Egypt (2005); Kulturamt Düsseldorf, Germany (2002).

El-Masry’s works are in public collections such as Bibliotheca Alexandrina; Museum of Egyptian Modern Art; National Literary Museum Bucharest, Romania; and private collections in Egypt, Germany, the USA, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, and Spain.

Provenance

Heba Elkayal, Cairo, 2023.