'An Egyptian Artist Mesmerizes in Venice With an Opera and a Donkey' – The New York Times

22 July 2024

Since the Venice Biennale opened in April, “Drama 1882,” a 45-minute video at the heart of an installation by the Alexandria-based artist Wael Shawky, has been mesmerizing visitors to the Egyptian Pavilion. When I went in mid-June, long after the art world insiders had left, I watched as tourists wandered into the dark space and after a moment or two parked themselves on the floor and on benches, seduced by the candy-colored, almost cartoonish stage sets, a richly melodious score, slow-motion, stylized choreography and even a real donkey.

The images are indelible: groups of soldiers sway and swoon in perfect synchronicity; top-hatted ambassadors from European powers squat barefoot on a tilted table or hang off its edges while discussing the fate of the Middle East; dancing girls tempt a drunkard in a tavern. But despite the surrealism of the visuals, the historical facts — they’re legit.

Shawky, 53, has made a name for himself in global art exhibitions like Documenta and the Sharjah and Istanbul Biennials by turning to the past to reframe our understanding of the present, often through filmed performances featuring marionettes, live actors in oversize masks, or even children. Some of his works retell classic stories — about the Crusades, or the expulsion of Muslim Arabs from Europe — that flip the script, as it were, by seeing history through Arab eyes.

Read more by Aruna D'Souza in The New York Times here.