BACKGROUND
I attended Ain Shams University in Cairo and received a Bachelor's degree in Psychology in 2001. During my time there, I frequented the art studio on campus to spend time with other students and cultivate my developing style. I participated in a number of events at the school's gallery, and early on won an award for one of my paintings. While in school, I spent a great deal of time at the Museum of Egyptian Modern Art to familiarize myself with up and coming artists and styles. To develop my technical skills, I received trainings based around still-life paintings, which I then found too constrictive, and sought out a more liberal and free expression. In 1998 I discovered the Amani Saad studio, who was an influential figure to my work and a step towards pursuing an open style more conducive to individual self-expression.
In 1999, under the mentorship of Mervat Shazly I learned how to successfully synthesize academic and free/creative style. I participated in the General National Exhibition in Cairo, where I made an installation at the Palace of Art, at the Opera House. I developed the theme of the piece, a symbolic representation of the Palestinian struggle. I have also displayed my work in a number of other galleries in Cairo, including the Gezira Gallery.
A turning point in my career came in 2004 with my first solo exhibition at the Atelier du Caire. The exhibition, entitled Cat Mona Night, was a tribute to my family and young sister, Mona, with whom I have developed a relationship based on our shared love of art. The pieces were focused around the idea of women as strong individuals contrasting against the divergent bright colors of the surrounding space and atmosphere.
I feel that experimentation with different media and styles is essential for an artist's development and self-expression. Different mediums help the artist discover her/himself, the media being a game or puzzle which the artist must study and understand to employ it as a manifestation of the his/her inner voice and creativity. I found inspiration in Marisa De Paula's work which relied on hand-mixed dyes and inks made from natural materials such as coffee, tea, and flowers. The observer is overwhelmed by a sense of the ordinary mixed with the extraordinary—simple colors made from everyday materials which portray an image or idea far beyond what we encounter on a daily basis. The colors together provide a link into a private world of mixed environments, circumstances, and surroundings. I was able to portray the strong from beautiful and beautiful from strong by using these delicate materials. Ever since, experimentation with all sorts of natural materials has become a fundamental part of my development and self-expression.
I also built a strong interest for working with children ever since I taught drawing for Sudanese refugee children with SUDIA organization. I developed this teaching experience into linking the drawing exercise to a bigger context of psycho-social support, especially that I originally studied psychology. I then pursued my work with refugee and marginalized children in different venues and I sensed a deep belief in the paramount importance of workshops and team work in art development.
At the American University in Cairo, I worked since November 2006 as an assistant director of the Falaki Art Gallery. I performed both administrative and technical duties pertaining to hosted shows at the galleries. I organized exhibitions, workshops and continuing education opportunities for the public. I was equally closely involved in the physical and collaborative installation of exhibitions. I used my skills to invite artists to construct exhibitions featuring original artwork. The experience crystallized my deep interest in community dialogue and education and brought up my dedication to fellow artistic endeavors.
The major themes of my work revolve around my perceptions of self and the flowing narratives of the woman in oriental society. I focused on portraying both the superficial and the deeper meaning of everyday life. My goal is to engage with my audience, to draw the individual closer to my work by allowing for self-introspection and discovery with each piece.
Full C.V
Shayma Kamel (+2) 0121341505
Born 1980, Giza, Egypt komthra@yahoo.com
Solo exhibitions
Jan 2010 Knauer Gallery, West Chester University,
Pennsylvania: Faces in Time
May 2009 KUNST Gallery, Cairo: Intimacy
Nov 2008 Saad Zaghloul Cultural Center, Cairo: Shayma Kamel
Nov 2007 Cairo Atelier, Cairo: Chairs
Nov 2007 Community Services Association, Cairo: Shababek
Oct 2006 Falaki Gallery, American University in Cairo: Hadouta
Feb 2004 Cairo Atelier, Cairo: Cat-Mona-Night
Group exhibitions
Sept 2009 Artists with Attitude, Amsterdam: The Beehive
Experiment
June 2009 Saad Zaghloul Cultural Center, Cairo: The Holy
Family’s Trip
May 2009 Gallery Lot17, Cairo: Egyptian Female Artists
2008 Palace of Art, Cairo: 18th Youth Salon
Jue 2008 Saad Zaghloul Cultural Center, Cairo: Artist’s View
Feb 2008 Gomhouria Theatre, Cairo: Sawa
Feb 2008 Ahmad Shawky Musuem, Cairo: Dream
Sept 2007 Mahmoud Mokhtar Cultural Center: Graffiti Exhibition
June 2007 Gallery Grant, Cairo: Tetralogy
2007 Townhouse Gallery, Cairo: Sawa
2007 Centre of Arts, Athens: A Mediterranean Trilogy of
Contemporary Art
March 2007 Palace of Art, Cairo: 18th Youth Salon
Feb 2007 Falaki Gallery, American University in Cairo: Fresh
Cream- An Exhibition of Recent works by AUC Faculty
Sept 2006 El-Sawy Culture Wheel, Cairo: Under the Bridge
March 2006 Ewart Gallery, American University in Cairo: Window
Women (Shayma Kamel and Marisa diPaola)
April 2005 Townhouse Gallery, Cairo: Works on Paper
2004 El-Sawy Culture Wheel, Cairo: Abanous
Sept 2003 Palace of Art, Cairo: 15th Youth Salon
2003 El-Sawy Culture Wheel, Cairo: The Women
2003 Gezira Center of Arts, Cairo: 3rd Annual Salon of
Small Artworks
2003 One Horizon Gallery, Cairo: 2nd World Exhibition for
Art on Porcelain
2001 Palace of Arts, Cairo Opera House: 27th National
Exhibition for Fine Arts
2001 Alexandria Atelier, Alexandria, and Palace of Arts,
Cairo Opera House: Innocent Arts
Residencies and projects
Jan 2008 Townhouse Gallery, Cairo: SAWA project Inside
Outside on the Walls of Townhouse
June 2007 Atelier of Alexandria: RAMI workshop in Body,
Movement and Multimedia, in cooperation with
SHAMS (Beirut), ZINC/ECM (Marseille) and ASTAR
(Milan) *participant
May 2007 Townhouse Gallery, Cairo: collaborative project Souk
El Goma’a
April 2007 Townhouse Gallery, Cairo: Save the Children
(Sweden) animation training workshop *participant
April 2007 Jesuits’ & Brothers’ Association for Development,
training of teachers; dolls and recycle workshop
*director
March 2007 Atlantis Books, Santorini: artist’s residency
April 2005 Goethe Institute, Cairo: toy making workshop with
Mark Schlittger *participant
June 2004 Townhouse Gallery, Cairo: experimental drawing
workshop *participant
2003 Elfostat Ceramic Center, Cairo: Paint on Porcelain,
four month workshop with Dr. Samia Zada
Workshops for children
June 2009 Catholic Relief Services and Club K, Cairo: Art
workshops for refugee children *director
Aug 2008 Rawabet Theatre, Cairo: painting, puppet-making
and theatre workshop with the Al-Shehab institution for Comprehensive Development *organisor and director
July 2008 Saida Zeinab Cultural Garden, Cairo: painting workshop for the annual Street Children Day organised by the Development Support Centre and UNICEF *director
June 2008 Rawabet Theatre, Cairo: UNICEF interactive
workshop for street children *director
2007 IMPAPA in cooperation with UNICEF: art teacher with
street children in Cairo
2007 Cairo to Camps project, Jordan: Palestinian children
mixed media and recylcling workshop *director
July 2007 VSA arts and Townhouse Gallery: workshop for kids with disabilities *director
2006 Somali children’s book-making workshop *director
2005 & 2006 Children’s art workshops for World Refugee Day in
association with the AUC Student Action for Refugees and Townhouse Gallery, Cairo *organisor and director
2005 Art classes for Sudanese Development Initiative
summer camp *director
2005 SODO Organization: art teacher for Somali children
2004 Art classes for Sudanese Development Initiative
summer camp *director
Funding
July 2007 Roberto Cimetta Fund: individual travel grant for
residency at Atlantis Books, Santorini
Bibliography
May 21 2009 The Egyptian Gazette, page 8: Life is Good at the
Kunst, review and interview by Youssra El-Sharkawy
June 24 2008 Daily News Egypt: Snapshots of a Different
Childhood, article on UNICEF workshop at
Townhouse Gallery by Marie-Helene Rousseau
May 2004 Memory Book, paintings in book for children affected
by HIV, SUDIA Organization and Egyptian Hope
Village, Cairo
Education
2002 BA Psychology, Ain Shams University, Cairo
Related experience
2006 – 2009 Gallery assistant and co-ordinator at Falaki Gallery
and Sharjah Art Gallery, American University in Cairo
2006 Organisor of exhibition by refugee artists for World
Regugee Day at the American University in Cairo
2005 Psycho-social consultant and trainer in HIV/AIDS
Prevention and Impact Mitigation among refugees in Greater Cairo for the Sudanese Development Initiative
2003 – 2005 Townhouse Gallery, Cairo: Outreach Workshop
program organisor
2003 Gezira Art Centre, Cairo: assistant for artist Jamal Ezz