 |
 |
| Laila Shawa | | ( Palestine ) |
 Born in Gaza in 1940, Laila Shawa graduated summa cum laude in Fine Arts from the Italian Accademia di Belle Arti in 1964 and received a diploma in plastic arts from the Accademia San Giacomo in Rome. From 1965 to 1967 she returned to Gaza to teach arts and crafts to underprivileged children. She now lives and works in London. As a Palestinian artist, Shawa is concerned to reflect the political realities of her country, becoming, in the process, a chronicler of events. Her work is based on a heightened sense of realism and targets injustice and persecution wherever their roots may be. The initial impetus for a piece often comes from her own photographs, which are later transformed by means of silkscreen printing techniques. The written word is often present in her work, as in the acclaimed 'Walls of Gaza' series (1994), which focused on the heart-rending messages of hope and resistance spray-painted, in defiance of Israeli censorship, by the ordinary people of Gaza upon the walls of their city. Her work has been exhibited in Italy, Germany, Austria, the UK, in most Arab countries, North Africa, Iraq, Russia, China, Japan, Malaysia and USA. She is represented in public and private collections across the world, including the National Galleries of Jordan and Malaysia, and the British Museum in London.
|
|
The Walls of Gaza II, 1994 (Complete set.) Lithographs on paper, 38cm x 50cm, editions 39/50
| Art Education |
| 1960-64 |
|
Academia St. Giaccomo, Rome, Italy. Diploma in Plastic & Decorative Arts |
| 1960-63 |
|
Studied under Austrian Expressionist Oscar Kokotchka School of Seeing, Salzburg, Austria (summer Courses) |
| 1958-60 |
|
Academia de Belle Arte Rome, Italy. BA (Hons) Fine Arts. Student of Renato Guttuso |
| 1957-58 |
|
School of Art Leonardo Da’Vinci, Cairo, Egypt. |
| Experience |
| 1965-67 |
|
Worked with UNRWA in the Gaza Strip as supervisor for Arts& Crafts education in UNRWA. |
| 1966-67 |
|
Lectured with UNESCO Institute of Education, Art education for children “Teacher Training Courses” for UNRWA Gaza. |
| 1967-75 |
|
Moved to Beirut and lived between London and Gaza until 1988. |
| 1977-88 |
|
Worked with the Saad Mohaffel Chartered Architects practice on the building of The Rashad Shawa Cultural Centre, in Gaza, from 1978 to 1988 and executed the stained glass windows for the project. |
| 1987 |
|
Moved back to London and resumed work as full time artist, lecturing and exploring various techniques and mediums. |
| Selected Solo Shows |
| 1965 | | Morna House, Gaza, Palestine |
| 1968 | | The Book Centre Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon |
| 1970 | |
Hotel Vendome, Beirut Lebanon |
| 1971 | | Dar Tunis, Beirut Lebanon |
| 1972 | | Sulton Gallery, Kuwait City, Kuwait |
| 1975 | | L' Antiquaire Gallery, Beirut Lebanon |
| 1976 | | Sulton Gallery, Kuwait City. Kuwait |
| 1990 |
|
The National Art Gallery, Amman, Jordan |
| | |
The National Art Gallery Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| 1992 | |
The October Gallery, London, UK |
| 1994 |
|
The Library- SOAS, University of London |
| 1996 |
|
Eruptions Explosions & Excision, Mermaid Theatre Gallery, London |
| 2000 |
|
In The Name of God, Crucifixion 2000, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. |
| 2008 |
|
SARAB, DIFC, DUBAI. |
| Selected Group Shows |
| 1958-64 | | Several exhibitions in Italy, Germany and Austria. |
| 1968-78 |
|
With the Palestinian Union of Artists in most Arab countries, North Africa, Baghdad, Biennale, Russia, China, Japan, Malaysia, Europe, UK and USA. |
| 1987 |
|
Arab Woman Artists in the United Kingdom, Kufa Gallery London. |
| 1988 |
|
The Baghdad Biennale, the Saddam Centre, Baghdad. |
| 1989 |
|
Contemporary Art from the Islamic World Exhibition, Barbican Centre London. |
| 1990 |
|
Malaysian Experience Exhibition, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as one of eight participating international artists. |
| 1992 |
|
Three Artists from Gaza, The Shoman Foundation, Jordan. |
| 1993 |
|
SAGA- Salon de L’estampe et de L’édition d’art a Tirage limite’, Grand Palais, Paris. |
| 1994/5 |
|
Forces Of Change - Women Artists of the Arab World.
-The National Museum of Woman in the Arts, Washington D.C.
-The Chicago Cultural Centre, Chicago Illinois.
-Miami Dade Community College/Wolfson Campus, Centre Gallery, Miami Florida.
-Nexus Contemporary Art Centre, Atlanta, Georgia.
-Bedford Gallery, Wallnut Creek, California. |
| 1994 |
|
Shawa & Wijdan, October Gallery, London, UK. |
| |
|
From Exile To Jerusalem, inaugural exhibition Al- Wasiti Art Centre, Jerusalem. |
| 1995 |
|
Contemporary Middle Eastern Art, recent acquisition, John Addis Gallery, British Museum. |
| |
|
Artist’s View, The Arab World, Willamette Arts Gallery, Willamette University, Salem, Oregon, USA. |
| |
|
Contemporary Arab Artists, Riwaq Al Balq’a Gallery, Amman, Jordan. |
| |
|
Contemporary Arab Artists, Darat Al- Funnun, Amman, Jordan. |
| 1995-97 |
|
The Right Of Hope Exhibition, One World Art, World touring exhibition - South Africa – Canada. |
| 1996 |
|
Winter Show, October Gallery, London. |
| |
|
The World Bank Gallery, World Bank Building, Washington DC. |
| |
|
The Right To Write, From the Collection of the National Gallery, Jordan, Agnes Scott College, Atlanta and Georgia. |
| |
|
Transvangarde, October Gallery, London. |
| 1997 |
|
Artistes Palestiniains Contemporains, Institutes Du Monde Arabe, Paris, France. |
| 1998 |
|
Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, Scotland. |
| |
|
Mediterranea, Grand Palais, Brussels. |
| 1999 |
|
Dialouge Of The Present, Bath Gallery, University of Bath, Brunei Gallery, London. |
| 2000 |
|
Timotca – UNESCO, Museum of Modern Art, Las Vegas, USA. |
| |
|
First International Forum For A Culture Of Peace / Mediterranean Women Creators, Rhodes, Greece. |
| 2001 |
|
Twelve Arab Artists, The Werled Museum, Rotterdam, Netherlands. |
| |
|
Diaspora , October Gallery, London, UK. |
| 2002 |
|
Breaking the Veils, Grand Masters Palace, Rhode, Greece. (Travelling exhibition to Europe and USA) |
| |
|
From The Ocean To The Gulf And Beyond: Arab Modern Art, The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts Amman, Jordan. |
| |
|
Between Legend And Reality, Modern Art from the Arab World, Akureyri Art Museum, Reykyavik Art Museum, Iceland. |
| 2003 |
|
Religion, Art and War, Maison Des Artes, London. |
| |
|
Transvangarde, October Gallery, London. |
| 2004 |
|
Exihibition, Floral Artist’s Studio, London. |
| 2006 |
|
Walled in Walled out, Hosein Gallery, London |
| |
|
The Word into Art, British Museum.London. |
| 2008 |
|
The Word into Art, British Museum and DIFC, Dubai |
| |
|
Mediterraneo, Italian cultural Institute, London. |
| |
|
Roads were open, Roads were closed, Third Line, Dubai. |
| |
|
Routes , Waterhouse and Dodd, Cork street, London |
| |
|
The Arab Print Edition I, Meem Gallery, Dubai |
| 2009 |
|
Spring Show, October Gallery London. |
| Public Collections |
| The Arab Bank Limited, Ammon, Jordon |
| The British Museum, 20th Century Collection |
| The Kuwait Fund, Kuwait |
| The National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| The National Art Gallery, Amman, Jordon |
| The Palestinian Union of Artists |
The Shoman Foundation, Jordon
The Benevolent Society, Gaza.
The Werled Museum, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Timotca, Museum for World Peace, Las Vegas, USA
The DIFC, Dubai, UAE
The World of Islam Festival Trust, London, UK
The National Museum of Women in the Arts (Permanent Collection), Washington DC/USA
The Burrell Collection, Art Gallery and Museum (permanent Collection),
Kelvingrove, Glasgow, Scotland.
Museum of Modern Art, Glasgow, Scotland.
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
The Rashad Shawa Cultural Centre, Gaza. |
| Private Collections |
| Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Denmark, France, |
| Germany, Italy, Japan, Jordon, Kuwait |
| Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, UK and USA. |
| Selected Book References |
| Khal, Helen. The Woman Artist in Lebanon, Catholic Press, Lebanon, 1987, |
| Ali, Wijdan. Contemporary Art from the Islamic World, Scorpion Books, London, UK, 1988, |
| Shammout, Ismail. Art in Palestine, AI Qabbas Press, Kuwait 1989, |
| Laila Shawa, Works 1965- 1994 AI-Hani Books, 1994. |
Forces of Change, Artists of the Arab World, Washington D.C., USA, 1994
Bahnasi, Dr. Afif, Pioneers of Modern Art in the Arab Countries, Dar Al-Raed Al-Arabi, Beirut.
Shawa and Wijdan, October Gallery,1994, Amica Press.
The Dictionary of Art”, Macmillan Press, 1996, London.
The Right to Hope, Earthscan Publications Ltd., 1996, London
Impressions”, H. Aschehoug & Co., 1996, Norway.
The Right to Write, Agnes Scott College, Atlanta, USA.
Artistes Palestiniens Contemporains, Institute Du Monde Arabe, 1997, Paris, France.
The Space Between Our Footsteps, Simon & Schuster, 1998.
Dialogue of the Present, Woman’s Art Library, 1999.
Mediterranea, Art Life 1998, Brussels, Belgium.
Twelve Arab Artists”, The Werled Museum, 2001, Netherlands.
Between Legend and Reality, Aurora Art Museum, Reykjavik Art Museum Iceland 2002.
From the Ocean to the Gulf and Beyond: Arab Modern Art”, The Royal Society of Fine Arts, 2002, Amman, Jordan.
Breaking the Veil, The Jordan National Gallery and FAM, 2002 Rhodes, Greece.
The Word into Art The British Museum 2006/.2008
Meditarraneo, A Sea that Unites ,The Italian Cultural Institute, London 2008.
Sarab , DIFC, Dubai 2008.
Impossible Dreams, the work and Art of Laila Shawa, SkIRA Books, Milano, 2009 (pending)
Contemporary Art in The Middle East, ArtWorld, Black Dog Publishing, London, UK, 2009.
|
|
|
|
 |