2010-02-10T11:37:00.000-08:00

Mohamed Abdelkarim Abdelsalam

Born in 1983 in Minya, Upper Egypt, Abdelkarim completed his Bachelor degree in art education from Helwan Univeristy in Cairo in 2005. In 2008 he participated in the Salzburg Summer Academy as part of a group led by Gulsun Karmustafa dealing with issues of identity. In 2009-10 he participated in the Townhouse Gallery’s Independent Study Program structured around seminars centered on history and historiography of modern and contemporary Arab art. Currently he is a participant in the yearlong program Home Workspace at Ashkal Alwan, the Lebanese association for Plastic Arts.

Abdelkarim’s work engages its subject matter not critically but rather within a framework of normalcy and compliance. He is interested in producing printed publications because of the medium’s durability and mobility. His latest publication Al Hagez, part of Radio de Accion curated by Juan Canela, is structured around a dialogue with Spanish cultural researcher and curator Maria Ptqk. The publication was presented and launched in several Spanish cities including Bilbao, Madrid and Barcelona.

In addition to printed publications, Abdelkarim produces low budget videos and animations. His videos have been shown at LiteSide Festival in Amsterdam, Holland 2008, Biennal Pulgia in Italy 2009.

His long-term project is Travel Literature, which continuously produces work in several mediums elaborating on themes of exoticism. AbdelKarim’s travels and sites of Travel Literature include Istanbul, Karachi, Ramallah and currently Beirut.

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Exhibitions & Events
98 weeks bazaar at the Thessaloniki biennal 2011
Performance at Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, Switzerland 2011
VIDEOAKT International Videoart Biennial. 2011
Cairo decoumenta, viennoise, December, Cairo, 2010
Performance at Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi, Pakistan. 2010
'Why not' group exhibition, art place, Opera house, Cairo 2010
(20 Images from Middle East), Cairo, Solimannia, 2009/2010
22° INSTANTS VIDEO Festival Marseille, Alexandria, 200
Slovakia film festival, meddle east films, Bratislava, 2009
"Volume 1", group exhibition, Kermit Ben Hanne, Cairo 2009
"Beyond the desert" group exhibition, gallery Darb 1718, Cairo, 2009
The Solus Irish / Arabian avant-garde film tour, 2009
"International Biennale Cuenca" Ecuador, October, 2009
"Borer disorder" workshop exhibition, Gallery Depo, Istanbul, may 2009
Fugitive Video Project at Harmony Landing USA 2009
All art now festival for Video, Damascus, 2009
"Salzburg International summer academy of Fine Arts" Austria, July 2008
LiteSide Festival Amsterdam, Holland 2008
Biennial Puglia _ BJCM, Puglia, Italy 2008
The International Media Art Forum for Youth "IMAFY" Cairo, 2008
19th youth salon (video), Cairo 2008
18th youth salon Award (video), Cairo 2007
1st 2nd video art festival, CIC, Cairo 2005, 2007
Exhibition the pick3, the town house gallery, Cairo 2007
Award Saloon 18th in video art, Cairo 2007
Roznama exhibition in CIC, Cairo 2006
Performance (Roznamgat) (moaten), Cairo 2003, 2005
15th youth salon (installation art), Cairo 2003

Developing experiences :

Home work program space, Ashkal Alwan, Beirut, Lebanon, 2011.2012
Residency, Pro Helvetia, Switzerland, 2011
Al Mahatta second international, Artists, Workshop, Ramallah, Palestine, 2010
VASL International Artists' Residency. Karachi, Spring March 2010
Townhouse Independent Study Program (ISP) for critical writing, arts management, researches the townhouse gallery. Cairo. 2010
Rooftop studios residency “the townhouse gallery”2009
Workshop with Mildred Howard (American artist) in town house gallery October2003
5th media art workshop at Faculty of Art Education June 2005
Salzburg International summer academy of Fine Arts, Austria july2008
Workshop (pure data / hardware electronic) Hangar in opera house, Cairo