Wael Shawky

Wael Shawky (born 1971) is one of the most fascinating contemporary Arab artists. He investigates history, its interpretations and the ways in which the past influences the present. This catalog is dedicated to his research on the history of the Crusades, embodied in his environments, films, sculptures and drawings. These works, narrated from an Arab point of view, shed new light on the roots of some of the major cultural and sociopolitical crises of today. This catalog includes a new artist’s project consisting of drawings realized in dialog with Heinrich von Kleist’s essay “On the Marionette Theater” (1810), as well as new critical essays by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev and Laura U. Marks and a conversation between Marcella Beccaria and the artist. Together with archival materials and works related to Shawky’s film series Cabaret Crusades, the catalog presents a scholarly exhibition chronology.