Marwan Rechmaoui

Biography

Created from industrial materials such as concrete, metal, rubber, tar, textile, and glass, Marwan Rechmaoui’s work reflects his methodical study of cartography, demographics and urbanisation. He focuses on the socio-geography, architecture and cultural histories of cities and mirrors the socio-political structure and complex multi-cultural history of the Arab world. The artist has produced a variety of works, some of which incorporate maps of city streets, objects that reference urban domestic life and landmarks as well as histories of Beirut.

Rechmaoui’s work has been presented in a number of solo and group exhibitions, including Slanted Squares, Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht, the Netherlands (2019); Truth is black, write over it with a mirage’s light, Darat al Funun, Amman (2018); Sharjah Biennial 13 (2017); Home Works 2, 4, 5, and 7, Ashkal Alwan, Beirut (2003-2015); Istanbul Biennial 13 (2015); Here & Elsewhere, New Museum, New York (2014); Cadavre Exquis, Suite Méditerranéenne, Musée Granet, Aix-en-Provence, France (2013); Sharjah Biennial 11 (2013); On the Edgware Road, Serpentine Gallery, London (2012) and Sharjah Biennial 7 (2005). His work can be found in the collections of the Tate Modern, London; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Guggenheim, Abu Dhabi; Sharjah Art Foundation and Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid.

Rechmaoui was the recipient of the Bonnefantenmuseum Award for Contemporary Art, Maastricht, the Netherlands (2019).

He was born in 1964 in Beirut, where he continues to live and work.

SAF participation:
Sharjah Biennial 7, 11 and 13