Sharjah Art Foundation

Working with Artists and Audiences on Commissions and Residencies


Visuals

Making and Exhibiting Contemporary Art in an Informal Settlement

March Meeting 2012
Making and Exhibiting Contemporary Art in an Informal Settlement

Photo by Louie dela Torre

Making and Exhibiting Contemporary Art in an Informal Settlement Image

Overview

Artellewa Art Space is an informal urban space located in Ard El Lewa, a densly populated informal urban settlement in Greater Cairo, Egypt. Over the past five years, Artellewa has hosted residencies for over 25 artists from Europe, the USA and the Arab World, facilitating projects that interact with the local environment and community. By offering a unique opportunity to resident artists, Artellewa brings challenging contemporary artworks and renown artists to a local audience. Artellewa’s work serves to de-marginalise an informal space, connecting it to contemporary culture and an international community of artists. This presentation will address how informal urban settlements present numerous challenges for an art space, including the local audiences’ unfamiliarity with contemporary art practices, while offering unique opportunities for exhibitions, education and creative uses of space.