CURATORIAL PRACTICE

In her early career and as a fine arts graduate, she focused on contemporary art in her curatorial work that is when she founded Out Of The Circle Organization to support Egyptian artists. Over the last eight years, her curatorial work is shifted and dedicated to new media art, in particular, noticing it as a fast-growing medium in Egypt. From 2013 to the present, she organized and curated New media and digital art festivals, exhibitions, and research projects. Her curatorial work was able to grow beyond Egypt to North Africa when she worked on the First Phase of DIGI MENA mapping research with the Curators team from North Africa. Internationally she curated projects in Syria and Germany besides curated the digital art festival in Cairo when her organization invited international guests from Europe, UK, Africa, and the United States.

RESEARCH

The focus of her research is digital art in North Africa and the Middle East that she started in 2017 when initiating the idea with curators’ colleagues from North Africa to start the “Digi MENA” research. DIGI MENA is research divided into three phases North Africa, the Gulf area, and the Levant. With the support of the Goethe Institute, the North Africa research phase was made possible.

BIO

Since 2008 I Cairo, Egypt I Out Of The Circle Organization
2008 – 2006 I Cairo, Egypt I El-Sawy CultureWheel I Exhibitions Manager
1981 I Born in Cairo, Egypt
FORMATION
2012 I Leipzig, Germany I Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst (GFZK) I Internship
2012 I London, UK I University of Arts London, Central Saint Martin I Curating and Arts Criticism Short Courses
2004 – 1998 I Cairo, Egypt I Helwan University, Faculty of Fine Art I Bachelor Studies

LINKS
Forgotten Enlightenments exhibition in Germany, 2019
DIGI MENA Mapping research, 2017
DI-EGY FEST, First edition, 2013

ARTFORMS
Photography, Sculpture, Installation

MATERIALS / MEDIA
Photography, Video, Sound

GUIDED INTEREST
Adel Abidin is an Iraqi artist living between Helsinki and Amman, working with Photography, sculpture, and installation. As an artist, he focuses on Video, sound, and photography. His practices are inspired by his cross-cultural background to explore the complex relationship between visual art and politics & identity.

Adel Abidin became one of the well known established middle eastern artists of video and sculpture installation in the last thirteen years.
Since his representation of Finland at the Nordic Pavilion in the 52nd Venice Biennale 2007, his work has been the subject of major exhibitions worldwide among its MOMA in New York City and Transmediale in Berlin.

QUOTES
“My main point of departure is always linked to my intention to explore the complex relationship between visual art and politics & identity. Using a sharp palette of irony and humor I find myself gravitated towards different social situations dealing with elusive experiences and cultural alienation.”
Adel Abidin Website: Biography: 9 October 2020

BIO
Lives between Helsinki, Finland, and Amman, Jordan
Growing up in Baghdad, Iraq.
1973 I Born in Baghdad.

FORMATION
2005 I Helsinki, Finland I Academy of Fine Arts MFA.
2000 I Baghdad, Iraq I Academy of Fine Arts BA.

EXHIBITIONS SELECTION
2020 I Valencia, Spain I IVAM – Institut Valencià d’Art Modern.
2019 I Seoul, South Korea I Seoul Museum of Art.
2017 I Moscow, Russia I The 7th Moscow Biennale.
2015 I Toronto, Canada I Aga Khan Museum.
2014 I South Korea I The Gwangju Museum of Art.
2014 I New York, USA I New Museum.
2012 I Paris, France I Arab World Institute.
2011 I Amman, Jordan I Darat al Funun, The Khalid Shoman Foundation I Solo exhibition.
2010 I Doha, Qatar I Mathaf – Arab Museum of Modern Art.
2009 I Utrecht, The Netherlands I Impakt Festival.
2008 I New York, USA I MoMA, Museum of Modern Art I Screening.
2008 I Helsinki, Finland I MUU, Media Art Association Gallery I Solo Exhibition.
2007 I Chicago, USA I The University of Chicago.
2007 I Venice, Italy I 52nd Venice Biennale, Nordic Pavilion
And more

AWARDS
2015 I Helsinki, Finland I Finnish Ministry of Culture and Education I The Finland Prize for Visual Arts.
2005 I Slovenia I LUKSUZ film festival, Audience award.
2002 I Baghdad, Iraq I Contest of Young Iraqi Artists/Painters, First Prize.
1999 I Baghdad, Iraq I Contest of new Iraqi Sculpture, Third Prize.
And more grants.