Profile 3


The artist should not become a


simple tool of propaganda


In my opinion, the role of the


government is to support the independence of artists and not the opposite. Te artist should not become a simple tool of propaganda for these types of regimes. Ultimately, since the government accepted my conditions, I was very happy to take charge of the pavilion. But coming back to your original question, for now, I retain this same position because the idea is not to always be asking the government not to interfere. It happened this time and it worked out. I am very proud of it and so happy that even the government was supportive and cooperative towards my undertaking.


AAN: Considering the huge success of the Egyptian Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale, do you feel it triggered a change within Egypt’s contemporary art scene or towards Egypt’s contemporary artists? WS: It definitely changed something, but above all, it proved to many people that the Egyptian Pavilion was generally not bad. Tis showed that in the past it was not because


from nomadic life to agriculture, from agriculture to urbanism, even from urbanism to technology. All these different ways of transforming from one to another are still based on this dream of being better, being higher, regardless of whether it’s true or not. Tis, however, is the representation that makes us humans realise that we are developing. Terefore, to me, the Gulf is an excellent metaphor to address and explore.


Exhibition view of Drama 1882 (2024), Egyptian Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale entitled ‘Foreigners Everywhere’, 2024, Venice, Italy, courtesy of the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery Beirut / Hamburg and Lia Rumma Gallery, Barakat Contemporary, and Lisson Gallery


there were no artists with the capacity or ability to make it great, rather the reason was simply the system. We need to keep that in mind. Now, as for future biennales, will there be another artist capable of doing this with them? I honestly do not know, but I hope that I managed to show the younger generation that there is a way to do it. It all comes down to the fact that the system is the problem. Events like the Venice Biennale, especially with the prizes they award and the aura and recognition that come with it, truly show the young generation in Egypt that they can hope for a light, a


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dream, and that something can become real.


AAN: The subject of Drama 1882 addressed Egypt’s history when a group led by the pioneering Egyptian nationalist Colonel Ahmed Urabi (1841-1911) opposed British influence. Recently, we are tending to see more countries starting to process chapters of their past, be this France with Algeria or Spain with Franco, for example. What is the situation in Egypt? Has it come to terms with certain chapters of its past? How do you see it? WS: I am currently working on a very


ambitious project that deals with the history of the Gulf. When we say the Gulf, of course, we are talking about Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and all the oil-rich countries located there. My idea for the film is very


metaphorical, exploring how the Gulf became extremely developed and rich, basically changing the whole system in a very short period. To me, that is a fantastic metaphor of humanity in the way they dream of development, and how they evolve and advance by changing their own system. As for the system itself, it is quite broad and can be anything,


AAN: How do you go about researching such a broad topic, even more so as its history is still being written? WS: Tere is a considerable amount of reading on my part prior to embarking on a new project. Ten, when I get to writing the script, I always work closely and interact with academics as well as historians, discussing every aspect down to the smallest details as ultimately, I am an artist and not a historian. I therefore need these people to educate me and help me understand the history I am exploring before addressing it. I had been planning the film on the Gulf and started studying its history almost seven years ago. I am now finally working on the actual film, based on the idea I have been developing over the past years following thorough research. Of course, my research also covered Egypt, which is connected to the Gulf, and especially its head, Saudi. Arab countries are truly intertwined when it comes to the political, economic, or social aspects, with everything genuinely connected. But somehow, within my research, I always find myself stopping at the Arab Spring in 2011. In my opinion, there is something from that year onwards that remains unclear, whereas on the contrary, prior to


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ASIAN ART | MARCH 2026


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