Weaam El Masry
Follow ArtistIntroduction to Weaam El Masry: A Multifaceted Visual Artist
Weaam El Masry is a Cairo-Dubai based, multi-award-winning visual artist who was born in Egypt. A painter who also explores photography, animation and installation in her work, she holds a Ph.D. in Media Arts, gained in 2007 from the Faculty of Applied Arts, Helwan University.
Her other qualifications include a Master’s degree in Fine Arts (2002) and Bachelor’s degree in Applied Arts (1998) from the same university.
Themes and Techniques in El Masry’s Art
El Masry’s art is often figurative, featuring larger-than-life characters and created using mixed media and materials that range from paints, pencil and charcoal to collages.
Exploring Gender Dynamics through Art
The conflicts and inequalities that mark the relationship between men and women – still a hallmark of patriarchal societies in the region – is a common theme which the artist explores in her work.
The Anonymity and Universality of El Masry's Characters
Often headless or semi-limbed, and set in an open frame, these fascinating, fleshy subjects have an air of anonymity about them which serves to remind audiences that the topics El Masry is exploring are broader and much more far-reaching than appear on a single canvas.
El Masry’s Global Footprint: Exhibitions and Collections
El Masry’s works can be found in the Museum of Modern Art, the Ministry of Culture, Alexandria Library and 15th May Art Center (Graphic Museum) in Egypt, and in many private collections in Egypt, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Switzerland, the US and Spain.
Most recently, her work is being shown as part of a display of the 30 artworks shortlisted for the Norval Sovereign African Art Prize 2024, at the Norval Foundation Art Museum, Cape Town, South Africa.
A Timeline of Weaam El Masry’s Solo and Collective Exhibitions
Other key solo and collective exhibitions include: ‘Something Else at the Citadel’, Salah El-Din Citadel, Cairo (2023); Strauss & Co’s Curatorial Voices – Modern and Contemporary Art from Africa, Cape Town, South Africa (2023); and many more significant international showcases.
Accolades and Recognition: Celebrating El Masry’s Artistic Achievements
Weaam El Masry is the recipient of several accolades from various institutions in Egypt and abroad, including First Prize in 2022 in an art competition organised by the International Organization of Migration under the authority of the United Nations.
El Masry works as a lecturer at the Faculty of Art and Design at the British University in Egypt. She is also a curator and co-founder of Easel and Camera, a contemporary art gallery in Egypt.
