Qatar Museums (QM) today announced that the internationally acclaimed Egyptian-born artist Wael Shawky has been appointed to serve as the first Artistic Director of QM’s creative hub Fire Station: Artist in Residence. Shawky will oversee the institution’s prestigious program, which to date has fostered the work of almost one hundred emerging artists from Qatar and its region.
Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, said,
Wael Shawky is widely admired as one of the most exciting artists on today’s international scene, as well as a scholar and educator with a deep commitment to nurturing the younger generation. In the newly established position of Artistic Director, he will build on the existing success of Fire Station: Artist in Residence and help lift the institution to its next level, contributing powerfully to the work of Qatar Museums in fostering talent and developing the creative industries here and throughout our region.
Wael Shawky, who plans to transform the Fire Station into a platform for educational programs starting in September 2025, said,
There is no separation in my mind between pursuing my artistic practice and fostering the next generation of Arab artists. We live in a moment that urgently demands creativity in both arenas. That’s why I founded MASS Alexandria, my independent, not-for-profit art school in Egypt, and it’s why I have been so enthusiastic about Qatar’s Fire Station: Artist in Residence, following its work from the earliest days and seeing its remarkable impact on artists and their audiences. I look forward to collaborating with the extraordinary team at Qatar Museums, which is doing so much to transform the possibilities of art throughout the Middle East.
Based in Alexandria and Philadelphia, Wael Shawky most recently won acclaim for his video work Drama 1882, representing Egypt at the 60th International Art Exhibition at the Venice Biennale (2024). His work, which ranges widely among film, performance, and storytelling, has been the subject of solo exhibitions at institutions including Tate Modern (2022), Kunsthaus Bregenz (2016), MoMA PS1 (2015), Serpentine Gallery (2013), and The Hammer (2013), among others, including QM’s Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, which presented his Crusades and Other Stories in 2015. He has participated in major international exhibitions including the 14th Istanbul Biennial (2015), the 11th Sharjah Biennial (2013), Documenta 13 (2012), the 9th Gwangju Biennial (2012), and SITE Santa Fe (2008). He founded MASS Alexandria, an independent studio program for young artists, in 2010.
