Shadwa Ali
How Basel Changed The World
The Plague Of Burst
Off-Grid
Beyond The Shore
Resonance Of The Gyre
Dust & Glitter
Self-Error
Requiem For A Grief
The Capsule
Magic Sand
Tropics
Chaotic Routine
Inktober
The Other World
Shadwa Ali is an independent Egyptian multidisciplinary artist based in Alexandria. A graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Alexandria University. Her work is not limited to one medium; it spans printmaking, installation, video, sound, and music.
Shadwa’s artistic practice is based on searching and exploring society problems and human psychological issues, their behavior through the daily chaotic routine in capital cities (Cairo-Alexandria), and how when certain events occur, it affects the social and collective memory and their way of interacting with this society. Since she's interested in the chaotic daily routine, noise is one of the major subjects for her artworks.
Her recent projects investigate the varying definitions of "noise" across capital cities, shaped by cultural differences. She views culture as a sonic tapestry, where musical notes thread through everyday life and humans act as instruments capable of reimagining the future.
Shadwa has exhibited both in Egypt and internationally, and her work has been featured in international events and on radio programs.
Education
Post-graduate in printmaking at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Alexandria University (2012-2013), Grade: Very good
Graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Alexandria University- Egypt, Graphics dept, Printmaking, 2012
Grade: Very good with Honors.
2025
The Cat in the Box, Atelier Mondial, Basel, April.
2024
Sonica festival at Tramway, Glasgow, September.
(Re)cognizable at Bsarya Arts, Alexandria, September.
2021
Alternative Skies at the French Institute in Alexandria, June.
Technocrats by Art d'Egypt, Cairo, January.
2020
Quarantined online exhibition by Goethe-Institute, Alexandria, July.
2019
"AləgZANdreeə" Art Exhibition at Shelter art space, Alexandria, June.
"Roznama 7" exhibition at Medrar for contemporary art, Cairo, April.
2018
"Cairotronica" Cairo electronic & New media arts festival at Cairo opera house, May.
2017
"Recycle and Play" exhibition at atelier Alexandria, April.
2016
"Roznama 5" exhibition at Medrar for contemporary art, Cairo, September.
"Open bridge" Performance in collaboration with WOOSHING MACHINE and El Madina studio, at the Bibliotheca Alexandria, February.
2015
10th International youth saloun at atelier Alexandria, March.
2014
Imago Mundi: The Art of Humanity at Rome, November.
25th Saloun of Egyptian youth artists at Cairo Opera house, November.
"Interruption" group exhibition at townhouse, Cairo, September.
Unqualified exhibition at Janaklees studio, Alexandria, March.
2013
Middle east salon for small art works, Cairo, January.
Nahr Al Bahr competition at El Sawy Culture wheel, Cairo, February.
Egypt photo marathon at Darb1718 , Cairo, February.
2012
Agenda exhibition at the Bibliotheca Alexandria, February.
Stop motion movies workshop exhibition at the Bibliotheca Alexandria, December.
23th Saloun of Egyptian youth artists at Cairo Opera house, October.
First time exhibition At the Bibliotheca Alexandria, August.
Graduation Projects exhibition of Graphics department, June.
2011
Agenda exhibition at the Bibliotheca Alexandria, March.
International exhibition of small Printing for Students at Minia, November.
Talks & interviews
Fountain Talk, Africa Basel, Basel, June 2025.
Future of listening: Listening to others, Sonica festival at Tramway, Glasgow, September 2024.
Sonic spaces, inerview with Sarah Hamdy Cairo, 2022.
Quarantined online exhibition talk by Goethe-Institute, Alexandria, July 2020.
Roznama Studio program in collaboration between Medrar for contemporary art and D-caf festival, Cairo, 2018.
Press & Publications
BBC Arabic Art for Life x Sonica interview and article, 2024.
The new arabs, “The Egyptian artists not to miss at the 2024 Glasgow Sonica Festival” interview and article, 2024.
Grapefruites fanzine, issue 4, 2021.
Roznama 6, Cairo, 2018.
"Egypt, the cradle of art" contemporary artists from Egypt, "Imago Mundi" Image of the world collection, 2014.
2019
Transmedia and New Contexts with Tom Brennan and Kersti Grunditz Brennan from the Stockholm University of the Arts, Film and Media department at the Museum of Fine Arts, Alexandria, April.
2018
The live audio in the VVVV workshop at the Goethe Institut Cairo, May.
2017
"Recycle and Play", Noisy Mechatronic objects workshop at Faculty of Fine Arts, Alexandria, in collaboration with 6 French artists from L'École Supérieure d'art Aix-en-Provence, Alexandria, April.
2016
Training of trainers in the field of sound and music at "ADEF" Arab Digital Expression Foundation, Cairo, April.
"Open bridge" workshop with WOOSHING MACHINE at "El Madina" studio, Alexandria, February.
"Cinema workshop" of Zoom - International Festival short film - Clermont-Ferrand at French Institute of Egypt, Alexandria, February.
2011
Stop Motion movies workshop at faculty of fine arts, Alexandria, September.
"The last days of earth movie" workshop at faculty of fine arts, Alexandria, March.
Printmaking with Photo-polymer at atelier Alexandria, January.
2010
Digital Print workshop at atelier Alexandria, May.
Resedencies
Swana x Struer residency, AIR at Sound Art Lab Denmark(September-November), 2025.
Prohelvetia, AIR at Atelier Mondial, Basel, Switzerland (April-June), 2025Beyond 1932 Research Project & Artist Online Residencies King's College London, UK 2025
Studio program
ART X AI residency at Bsarya Arts, Alexandria (May-September) 2024.
Sonic Spaces virtual program, Cairo, 2022-2023.
Roznama 6 Studio programe, Cairo, 2018.
Film-making at Jesuit film school, Alexandria, (2016-2017).
Fellowship
"We Are Data" fellowship, Cairo, 2019-2020.
Music events/ Performance
“I’m all ears” at Gard du nord, Basel, June. 2025
Beyond 1932 Project Sonic legacies of Cairo's 1932 Congress at King's College London, March 2025.
Live performance in Sonica festival at The Glad Cafe, Glasgow, September 2024.
Healing. Listening to a Brave New World by Medisoup, Cyprus, Spain, and Turkey, April 2022.
All systems go at Centrala art gallery, Birmingham, UK, June 2021.
Alternate African Reality – Electronic, electroacoustic and experimental music from Africa and the diaspora - among 32 artists and bands by Syrphe, 2020.
Shubbak El Fann at Goethe-Institute, Alexandria, October 2019.
Broadcasts
First chapter of 'Aguaespejo' on radioalhara, July 2025.
The Swiss radio programme «airtime!», episode 8, produced by Radio RaBe, and broadcasted by Radio RaBe, radiox basel, Radio 3FACH, Kanal radio and Radio Gwen, 2022.
Experimental Venues Worldwide, episode 5 by ACUD MACHT NEU, Germany, September, 2020.
Amateur gardener tales, episode 4 by Mada Masr, Cairo, 2020.
Sonic Darts, Resonance FM in London and Norwich, UK, February, 2019.