Biography

Khaled Hafez

Is Egyptian-French visual artist, filmmaker, and educator. He is born in Cairo, Egypt in 1963 where he currently lives and works. He studied medicine and followed the evening classes of the Cairo School of Fine Arts (Faculty of Fine Arts) in the eighties. After attaining a medical degree in 1987 and M.Sc. as a medical specialist in 1992, he gave up medical practices in the early nineties for a career in the arts. He later obtained an MFA in new media and digital arts from Transart Institute (New York, USA) and Danube University Krems (Austria). Hafez practice spans the mediums of painting, film / video, photography, installation and interdisciplinary approaches. Hafez, a Fulbright Fellow, Rockefeller Fellow,  Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), and 2023 IASPIS Grant Holder, Stockholm, Sweden. Hafez occasionally curates visual arts and photography exhibitions for younger peers.

International Biennales Include:

  • 57thVenice Biennale, Italy, 2017 (National Pavilion Grenada).
  • 2nd Asuncion Biennale, Paraguay, 2017.
  • Curitiba Biennale ‘17, Brazil, 2017.
  • 56th Venice Biennale, Italy, 2015 (Official Collateral Biennale Exhibition).
  • 3rd Mardin Biennale, Turkey, 2015.
  • 6th Moscow Biennale, Russia, 2015.
  • 1st Trio Biennale, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, 2015.
  • 1st Bienal del Sur, Caracas, Venezuela, 2015.
  • 15th FotoFest Biennale, Houston, USA, 2014.
  • 55th Venice Biennale, Italy, 2013 (National Pavilion Maldives).
  • 11th Havana Biennale, Cuba, 2012.
  • 9th Bamako Photo Biennale, Mali, 2011.
  • 8th Mercosul Biennale, Brasil, 2011.
  • 12th Cairo Biennale, Egypt, 2010.
  • Manifesta 8, Murcia, Spain, 2010.
  • 2nd Thessaloniki Biennale, Greece, 2009.
  • 3rd Guangzhou Triennale, China, 2008.
  • 7th Sharjah Biennale, UAE, 2007.
  • 1st Singapore Biennale, 2006.
  • 6th & 7th Dakar Biennale, Senegal, 2004 & 2006.

Hafez works & videos were shown at:

  • Laing Art Gallery,  Tyne & Wear Museum, New Castle, 2023.
  • Sainsbury Center, Norwich, UK, 2022.
  • Pushkin National Museum of Art, Vladikavkaz, Russia, 2021.
  • Bogota Museum of Contemporary Art, Colombia, 2022.
  • Noyes Museum of Art, New Jersey, USA, 2021.
  • Ely Center of Contemporary Art, New York, USA, 2021.
  • Museum of Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil, Egypt, 2019.
  • Museum of Fine Arts, Alexandria, Egypt, 2019.
  • Museuo Provincial de Holguin, Cuba, 2016.
  • American University Museum, Katzen Art Center, DC, USA, 2019.
  • Tirana National Art Gallery, Albania, 2016.
  • Kosovo National Art Gallery, 2016.
  • Crete Museum of Contemporary Art, 2016.
  • The Worker and the Kolkhoz Woman Museum, Moscow, 2015.
  • Uppsala Museum of Art, Uppsala, Sweden, 2014.
  • Art Sonje Center, Seoul, Korea, 2014.
  • National Gallery of Arts Tirana, Albania, 2014.
  • The Studio Museum in Harlem, NY, USA, 2013.
  • Cultuurcentrum Brugge, Belgium, 2013.
  • Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde, Leiden, The Netherlands, 2013.
  • British Museum, UK, 2012, 2021.
  • Havremagasinet Boden Konstcentrum, Sweden, 2012.
  • Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art, Japan, 2012.
  • State Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki, Greece, 2011, 2013 & 2015.
  • Museum of Contemporary Art, Roskilde, Denmark, 2007 & 2011.
  • Instituto Tomie Ohtake, Sao Paolo, Brazil, 2011.
  • Yuchengco Museum, Manila, Philippines, 2011.
  • The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art
, Icatha, NY, USA, 2010.
  • The New Museum NY, USA, 2010.
  • Casa Arabe, Madrid, 2010.
  • Saatchi Gallery, London, UK, 2009.
  • The Queens Museum, NY, USA, 2008.
  • Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France, 2008, 2012, 2014 and 2018.
  • MuHKA Museum of Art, Antwerp, Belgium, 2007 & 2011.
  • Kunstmuseum Bonn, Germany, 2007.
  • Bamako National Museum of Art, Mali, 2007, 2011 & 2015.

Special Video Screening Programs

  • Tate Modern, London, UK, 2007.
  • Centre George Pompidou, Paris, France, 2010 & 2012.

Film Festivals Include:

  • 2nd Arctic Moving Image & Film Festival – AMIFF 2017.
  • 14th Tirana International Film Festival, 2016.
  • 41st Rotterdam International Film Festival 2012.
  • 15th International Short Film Festival Winterthur, Switzerland, 2011.
  • CPH:DOX/ Copenhagen Film Festival, Denmark, 2011.
  • 17th African Film Festival, New Museum, New York, USA, 2010.
  • 8th Ismailia International Film Festival, Egypt, 2004. 

Awards & Fellowships Include:

  • IASPIS Grant Holder, Stockholm, Sweden, 2023.
  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Art (FRSA), UK, 2022.
  • Fulbright Fellowship, USA, 2005.
  • Rockefeller Bellagio Fellowship, Italy, 2009.
  • Francophonie Prize, 6th Dakar Biennale, Senegal, 2004.
  • Fondation Blachere Video Prize, 9th Bamako Photo Biennale, Mali, 2011.

Nominations Include:

  • 2015    – Jameel Art Prize (long list)
  • 2012    – The 4th Prix Pictet Photography Prize (long list)
  • 2011    – The Sovereign African Art Prize (Photography Shortlist)

Public Collections:

  • Bogota Museum of Contemporary Art
  • The British Museum, London, UK
  • National Museum of Art, Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia, Russia
  • National Center for Contemporary Arts (NCCA), Moscow, Russia
  • The Saatchi Collection, London, UK

  • MuHKA Museum of Contemporary Art, Antwerp, Belgium

  • Ars Aevi Museum of Contemporary Art, Sarajevo, Bosnia

  • Horcynus Orca Foundation, Messina, Italy

  • Mali National Museum, Bamako, Mali

  • Maraya Art Centre, Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah, UAE
  • State Museum of Art, Thessaloniki, Greece
  • Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt
  • Museum of Modern Art, Cairo, Egypt

Curated:

2010                Realms of the Hyperreal: Contemporary Practices from Egypt; Jose Marti Memorial, Havana, Cuba.

2011                22nd Salon of Young Egyptian Artists; Palace of the Arts & Museum of Modern Art, Cairo, Egypt.

2012                The Field Diaries: Egyptian Conflict Video Selection, French Institute Cairo, Egypt, and Bamako, Mali: Official Collateral Event to Bamako Photo Biennale.

2014                25th Salon of Young Egyptian Artists; Palace of the Arts & Museum of Modern Art, Cairo, Egypt.

2021                Miscegenation: On That One Photograph…, part of 2nd Cairo Photo Week, several Cairo locations, Organized by Photopia Egypt.

2021                Miscegenation: The Alexandria Chapter, Shelter Art Space, Alexandria, Egypt

2022                The Sea, Rehaf Batniji Solo Presentation, Institut Francais, Gaza, Palestine

Published / Authored

Egyptian Hyperreal Pop: The Rise of Hybrid Vernacular, LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing (October 8, 2012), ISBN-10: 3659254142, ISBN-13: 978-3659254147.

In Book Reference

2001                Maria Golia, Marilu Knode, William Wells and Janine van den Ende. Cairo Modern Art in Holland. The Hague: Fortis Circustheater Publications, 2001, 128–137. ASIN: B000Y2ALHG.

2005                Liliane Karnouk. Modern Egyptian Art 1910-2003. Cairo: 

  1. American University in Cairo Press, 2005, 240-241. ISBN-10: 9774248597 ISBN-13: 978-9774248597

2009                Martina Corgnati. Egitto: Profilo dell’arte Moderna e Contemporanea dei  Paesi Mediterranei. Milano; MESOGEA Publishers, 2009, 95–96, 154. ISBN-10: 8846920775 ISBN-13: 978-8846920775

2009                Hossein Amirsadeghi, Salwa Mikdadi and Nada Shabout, eds. New Visions: Arab Contemporary Art in the 21st Century. London: Trans Globe Publishing & Thames & Hudson, 2009. 142–145. ISBN-10: 0500976988 ISBN-13: 978-0500976982.

2009                Lisa Farjam & Saatchi Gallery. Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East. London: Booth  Clibborn Editions, 2010, 60–61. ISBN-10: 1861543131 ISBN-13: 978-1861543134.

2010                Saeb Eigner. Art of the Middle East: Modern and Contemporary

  1.            Art of the Arab World and Iran. London & NY: Merrel Publishers

                        Limited, 2010, 122. ISBN-10: 1858945003. ISBN-13: 978-

                        1858945002.

2011                P. Alonzo, A. Bieber, M. Hübner, G. Jansen, R. Klanten. Art & Agenda: Political Art and Activism. Berlin: Gestalten, Booth-Clibborn Editions, 257. ISBN-10: 1861543131 ISBN-13: 978-1861543134.

2020                Venetia Porter, Natasha Morris & Charles Tripp, Reflections: Contemporary Art of the Middle East and North Africa, The British Museum Collection, ISBN 978-0-7141-1195-7.

In International Academia

  • Barbara Gurrieri; Khaled Hafez: un artista egiziano tra video e pittura; Master thesis; Accademia di Belle Arti di Catania, Biennio Specialistico – Corso di Grafica; Supervisor Professor Martina Corgnati; a.a. 2005/06.
  • Simone Struth, Khaled Hafez: Grenzen und ihre Überschreitungen in der Serie Philadelphia Chromosome; Master Thesis; LUDWIG-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITÄT MÜNCHEN, Fakultät für Geschichts und Kunstwissenschaften, Institut für Kunstgeschichte; Supervisors Professors Avinoam Shalem & Burcu Dogramaci; year 2012.
  • Serena Coccoli; Khaled Hafez e la scena artistica contemporanea in Egitto; Master Thesis; Sapienza Università di Roma, Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia, Corso di Laurea Magistrale in Studi Storico-Artistici; Supervisor Professor Ilaria Schiaffini, co-supervisor Professor Antonella Sbrilli; year 2012-2013.
  • Alongside 65 academic mentions in peer reviewed journals on academia.edu, link: https://www.academia.edu/mentions?from_navbar=true&trigger=nav