Yasmine El Meleegy is an independent multidisciplinary artist and sculptor who is also a time-traveling archaeologist. Through her work, She creates participatory events to instantiate counter-narratives. Her work is concerned with the representation of history, repair and materiality in relation to histories of places such as her latest performative intervention at Stephenson’s 100-year-old pharmacy in downtown Cairo "Scaffolding a Familiar Epoch.“
Her practice stems from a personal impulse to fix and mend, an act which both staves off, and confirms the certainty of loss. Approaching defunct, damaged household items with painstaking care, she seeks to restore an object's emotional and historic resonance by repairing its physicality by creating monumental installations and artifacts as archaeological sites of the future. Through her project ”A Cup Of Tea With Fathy Mahmoud", She explores a moment of rupture that reconfigured systems of governance and class dynamics in Egypt.
Education:
2022
ACF Summer ACADEMY African Cultural Fund and 32bis - Bootcamp 2022,Tunis.
2016/7
MASS ALEXANDRIA Independent Study Program, Alexandria, Egypt.
2013/4
Diploma in Multi Media, ESBAN Ecole Supérieure des Beaux Arts de Nimes, France. (funded by the Institut français and the Ministry of Culture and Communication and under the supervision of the Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. CAMPUS FRANCE.)
2008/2013
Bachelor of Fine Arts (Major: Painting), Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Helwan. Cairo, Egypt.
Solo Shows:
2023 "The Six Hundred Seventy Four Forms And A Dragon", FOR Space, Basel, Switzerland.
2023 "To Mend Is to Shatter", Gypsum Gallery, Cairo, Egypt.
2021 "Scaffolding a Familiar Epoch," Performative intervention at Stephenson pharmacy,Cairo ,Egypt.
2018 ''Rites of Passage'' at Townhouse Factory,Cairo,Egypt.
2013 ''Without Oxygen'' at ESBAN Ecole Supérieure des Beaux Arts de Nimes, France.
Grants and Awards:
2022: Lieux publics - Centre National et pôle européen de création pour l’espace public - Production grant for artists.
2020: Culture Resource Al-Mawred Al- Thaqafy Exceptional Grants for Artists & writers.
2019: AFAC Visual Arts Grant.
2019: Art Omi-American Dream Fellowship.
2018: Production grant, Pro Helvetia, (Swiss Arts Council).
2017/2018: Production grant from the Egyptian Ministry of Culture for Artists.
2016/2017: Mophradat Grants for Artists (production).
2014: The Prize of the 25th Youth Salon, Cairo Opera House, Cairo, Egypt.
2013: The Prize of Egyptian Academy in Rome, The 24th Youth Salon, Cairo, Egypt.
2013: Artist Salah Taher's Award from Societe des Amis de L’art, Cairo, Egypt.
2009: The Painting Encouragement Award, University of Helwan, Cairo, Egypt.
Exhibitions:
2023 " A Cup Of Tea With Fathy Mahmoud book" I Esmat publishing list at Giselle Salon, readers and publishers meeting
,Giselle’s Books, Marseille.
2023 Screening at Casa Arabe, Proyector festival, Madrid, Spain curated by Elisabeth Piskernik.
2022 The Good Kind, Founders space, Cairo, Egypt.
2022 The Nutshell, Access gallery, Cairo, Egypt.
2022 Screening at NAJM – New Artistic Journeys around the Mediterranean sea curated by Lieux publics in collaboration with Medrar, in Marseille, France.
2021 Tangled Structures, Group show at the factory space organized by Art d'Egypte.
2021 Screening at Neumeraki’s Art Off-Screen Exhibition Reception,NYC.
2021 Extraction, Group show at Soma Art Gallery,Cairo, Egypt.
2021 REDZONE- Inner Spaces festival organized by Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy in partnership with KKV curated by Rasha Salah.
2020 Art Off Screen, Curated by Eileen Jeng Lynch.
2019 Where Is The Fun In Contemporary Art? At Cairo Gas. Curated by 28 Curatorial Collective.
2019 Reimagined Narratives: From Spatial Memory to Mapping the Future, AlMu'iz st.,Cairo,Egypt.
2019 Meetings festival, Thorsminde, Denmark.
2019 Art Omi, Open studios event. NYC.
2019 Roznama 7, Medrar Art Center, Cairo, Egypt.
2018 ‘'Nothing Vanishes, Everything Transforms’' at the Manial Palace Cairo,Egypt.
2018 Regionale 19 at Kunsthalle Palazzo Liestal, Switzerland. Curated by Kitty Schaertlin and Urs Aeschbach.
2018 International season exhibition,Atelier Mondial salon,Basel, Switzerland.
2018 Unframed Festival, Berlin, Germany.
2017 The Nest Festival at Al Riwaq Art Space,Bahrain.
2017 “Very Sustainable--Environmental Revelation” at the Museum of Contemporary Art Yinchuan,China. Curated by Suchen Hsieh.
2017 “Topophilia exhibition” curated by Amanda KM and Eto Otitigbe as part of MEETINGS festival. Nees,Denmark.
2017 ‘’Urban Implosion’’Acc Arts Space Network Exhibition, Asia Culture Center, Gwangju, South Korea. Curated by Gimo Yi.
2017 Do-it بالعربي, Townhouse Gallery, Cairo, Egypt. Curated by the Townhouse Gallery as an iteration of the ongoing “do it” publication and exhibition project originally conceived and curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist
2016 MASS Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt. Curated by Wael Shawky and Berit Schuck
2016 ‘’Something to Generate From’’ curated by Madrassa Collective at Kunsthal Aarhus, Denmark
2016 12th Dak’Art Biennale of Contemporary African Art in Dakar, Senegal.
2016 Breakfast in Beirut, Art Festival curated by Daniel Buso and Enas El Korashy. Villorba, Italy.
2015 The inauguration exhibition" at Made in., Art Gallery in Venice,Italy.
2015 Cairo off Biennale: Something Else, Darb 1718 for the Contemporary Culture & Arts, Cairo, Egypt. Curated by Simon Njami.
2015 Bjcem Mediterranea 17 Young Artists Biennale, Fabbrica del Vapore, Milan, Italy. Curated by Andrea Bruciati.
2015 Roznama, Medrar art center, Cairo, Egypt.
2015 Kunstwerk Carlshütte. Nordart, Büdelsdorf, Germany.
2015 Kevät Egyptistä, Exhibition in Äkkigalleria, Jyväskylä, Finland.
2015 Africa is now, Art Fair Cape Town, South Africa.
2015 Detour Exhibition, Videonale v.o Festival, Egypt/ Germany/ Italy.
2014 25th Youth Salon, Cairo Opera House, Cairo, Egypt.
2014 Cactus borders, Solo performance At ElFan Midan, organized by Darb 1718 for the Contemporary Culture & Arts, Cairo, Egypt.
2014 Have A Peaceful Day, Saad Zaghlool Cultural Center, Cairo, Egypt.
2014 Kunstwerk Carlshütte, Nordart, Büdelsdorf, Germany.
2014 MASPERO II, Darb 1718 For Contemporary Culture & Arts, Cairo, Egypt.
2013 The 24th Youth Salon, Cairo Opera House, Cairo, Egypt.
2013 Disconnected, Societe Des Amis de L’art, Cairo, Egypt.
2013 l’historie Photography Exhibition, Ecole Supérieure des Beaux Arts de Nimes, France.
2013 HIC Exhibition, Ecole Supérieure des Beaux Arts de Nimes. Mende, France.
2012 International Land Art, Curated by Professor Stuart Frost, Sang, Ghana.
2011 International Art Meet (ICCR), Kolkata, India.
2011 The 22nd Youth Salon, Cairo, Egypt.
Talks and presentations:
2023 Panel discussion, Roznama9 Parallel program, Tahrir Cultural Center at AUC.
2023 Discussion - Culturescape festival 2023 talks series at University of Basel with Henri-Michel Yéré.
2022 Discussion with Nour El Safoury "Esmat publishing list" Cairo Art Book Fair at Startup Haus, Cairo,Egypt.
2021 On Healing and Repair, " Scaffolding A Familiar Epoch'' project at Rawabet Art Space, Cairo, Egypt.
2021 On Healing and Repair, " Scaffolding A Familiar Epoch'' project at Consoleya, Cairo, Egypt. Organized by Faculty Of Pharmacy Cairo University.
2021 Discussion with Artist Khaled Hourani organized by Culture Resource Al-Mawred Al- Thaqafy. (online)
2020 Artist talk, Art Off Screen project - online platform.
2020 Artist talk, Art World Escape moderated by Mariam ElNozahy - online platform.
2019: Mass Alexandria, 2019
2018: AIR Talks #2 Pro Helvetia-Swiss Council at Egyptian Center For Culture & Arts-Makan
2018: Artist Talk, Townhouse factory ''Rites Of Passage'' Exhibition,Cairo,Egypt.
2016: Mass Alexandria program, Alexandria, Egypt.
2015: Artist Talk, Äkkigalleria ''Kevät Egyptistä'' Exhibition, Jyväskylä, Finland.
2014: Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University, Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt.
2014: 24th Youth Salon, Cairo Opera House, Cairo, Egypt.
2013: ESBAN école supérieure des beaux arts de Nimes, France.
Residencies and workshops:
2023 Interlude Artist Residency, NY, USA. (upcoming)
2022 NAJM Seminar – New Artistic Journeys around the Mediterranean sea curated by Lieux publics in collaboration with Medrar, in Marseille, France.
2019 Art Omi Residency, NY, USA.
2018 Residency grant, Pro Helvetia, (Swiss Arts Council).
2017 Do-it بالعربي ''Dwell Workshop with architect Ahmed Zazaa at Townhouse Factory,Cairo,Egypt.
2015 Indisciplinarte Residency program by CAOS Museum in Terni, Italy in collaboration with BJCEM Mediterranea 17 Young Artists Biennale.
2015 North and South Residency, Coordinated by the Alexandria Bibliotheca, funded by European Union.
2015 Residency in the Egyptian Academy in Rome through The prize of 24th Youth Salon, Rome, Italy.
2015 Detour Workshop, Coordinated by Videonale v.o Festival and Nabta Art Center, Egypt/Germany/Italy.
2013 L’historie Photography Workshop with Artist Arno Gisinger in Ecole Supérieure des Beaux Arts de Nimes, France.
2013 Paysage Workshop with Artist Jiango Ann in Ecole Supérieure des Beaux Arts de Nimes, France.
2013 HIC Workshop with Professor Brigitte bauer and Professor Jean Marc Cerino. Mende, France.
2012 International Land Art Residency program, Curated by Professor Stuart Frost, Sang, Ghana. (funded by The Ministry of Culture of Egypt ).
Collection:
Museum of Contemporary Art MOCA Yinchuan, China.