Sameh Al Tawil سامح الطويل

Profile Picture
Birthyear
1978
Currently based
Frankfurt, Germany
Affiliated institution
ADBK
Website
https://samehaltawil.com
About

Sameh Al Tawil سامح الطويل
Egyptian-German new media artist

was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1978. has gained international recognition for his digital art works on contemporary politics and culture in/ of the Middle East. He holds a BA from the Faculty of applied arts in Cairo (Egypt), a diploma of fine art from Akademie der bildenden Künste, Munich, (Germany), and has studied Media Art Histories at Danube university Krems ( Austria).

His work has been internationally exhibited and tackles questions of autobiography, freedom, religious and artistic identities, and since 2011 he has performed multimedia works that reflect upon the aftermath of the Egyptian revolution in 2011. He is the recipient of several awards and his work is in collections at Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cairo among others.

Al Tawil’s work tackles notions of freedom, religious and artistic identity through film, performance, digital installations and storytelling. Al Tawil’s frames Egyptian culture through the lens of self criticism and vice versa. Mixing truth and digital fiction.

https://samehaltawil.com

CV
Biography:

Sameh Al Tawil (Germany / Egypt) was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1978 and spent his youth in Medieval Cairo before moving to Munich, Germany when he was 22. Al Tawil is one of the most recognised new media artists from the Middle East who has gained international recognition for his works which trace the political and human rights notion through a Middle Eastern lens. He holds a BA from the Faculty of applied arts in Egypt, Diploma of Fine art from ADBK, Munich, Germany, Free media art histories study by Danube university Krems, Austria.

In 2019, Sameh Al Tawil premiered his latest project “Google it” in Sharja Islamic[2] art festival.[3][4]The large interactive projection mapping installation, Where viewers are able to search google about Islam and get visual feedback in form video mapping on walls and ground in real time.

In 2017, Sameh Al Tawil premiered “Not For Sale[5]” video installation project in Galerie Der Kuenstler, Munich, Germany, the project explores the idea of borders, boundaries and lines which are crossed when people traverse physical, psychological and symbolic spaces. Since 2000, Al Tawil had shows at the Galerie Der Kuenstler, Pinakothek der Moderne and Fine art academy Munich, Germany.[6] Verpackerei Goerisried gallery Germany, PROGR Gallery Bern, Switzerland, AMAZE festival South Africa[7], Cairotronica festival Egypt,[8] Digifest Cairo, Egypt.[9]

Art Work:

Sameh Al Tawil’s Work have been exhibited and commissioned at galleries, festivals, and museums nationally & internationally including The New Museum of Contemporary Art in Munich, Germany (Pinakothek der moderne)[10], The Egyptian Museum of Contemporary Art, Cairo; The ADBK fine art academy, Munich; The House of Art in Munich; The house of art gallery Frankfort; Youth Salon Cairo; The Center for Contemporary Art Cairo, Egypt; and the Uban Gallery, Munich, Germany, Ithuba Arts Gallery Johannesburg, 1st and 2nd Di-Egy digital art festival, Cairo; Amaze festival Johannesburg[11], ZA; 1st Afiriperfoma Bienniale Harare, Zimbabwe and many group / solo exhibitions in Egypt, switzerland and Germany, Sameh’s works are in several private and public collections including The Contemporary Art Museum, Munich, Germany and The Contemporary Art Musseum, Cairo, Egypt. Awards including Nile Salon photography prize 2012, Youth Salon Award (1999,2000, 2004)), a Small pieces Exhibition (2002), ENPI Photography 2nd Prize 2010 and a commission from the Contemporary Art Museum in Munich for the SOLO project [12](2003), [13]commission from the Modern Art Museum in Cairo for the “Knight” sculpture (2003) His work has been featured in AlAhram Online 2014, LandEscape Magazine (November, 2013), Di-Egy Festival catalogue 2013, Al-Ahram Newspaper (February 2004, october 2013) and many other publications. "Shoppingmall" group exhibition in in der Galerie der Künstler des BBK Munich, Germany 2017.[14][15]
Al Tawil’s has a series of biographical / self criticism art projects exploring the notion of Identity, freedom in digital and performance forms, such as “SOLO”, “Ready to Go”, “Not for SALE[16]”, “Clockwise[17]”, “Still Searching”, “IDEMixer”[18]. Al Tawil is currently working on a new search engine based art project, in partnership with Cairotronica [19]festival, in Cairo, Egypt, where he is conducting research and development for his first search-engine musical show. The premier show for the project was in Cairotronica [20]exhibition in Cairo, Egypt 04.2021.
2022 "Solo" performance-video within "Look at this" exhibition in Pinakothek der moderne, Munich, Germany.
Works
News
Nach dem Kassensturz

"Etwas subtiler und mehrdeutiger verpackt Sameh El Tawils in seinem Video "Not For Sale" das Thema. Man sieht eine längere Menschenschlange, die sich zum Fiepen eines Einkaufskassenscanners fortbewegt. Der Kapitalismus als Ansporn für Migration, als Verheißung eines besseren Lebens? Oder gar: Der Kapitalismus als ein längst selbstlaufender Motor, der die Menschen antreibt, vertreibt und uns am Ende alle in den Abgrund treibt?"

Nach dem Kassensturz
Exhibitions & Events
Something Else
Participating Artist
Bibliography
  • Herzing, Ruth; Holzwig; Matzner (Hrsg.). AkademieGalerie 2004 - 2008. 1st edition th ed.München: Akademie d. Bildenden Künste München, 2009.
DataViz