Lisson Gallery Artist Wael Shawky Stages 'Drama 1882' at Grand Palais
Grand Palais presents the exhibition 'Wael Shawky: Drama 1882' from June 10 to July 26, 2026. The installation comprises eight parts that follow Ahmed Urabi's 1882 revolt against colonial rule through videos, sculptures and historical reconstructions filmed in an Alexandria theater. The project, first shown as a highlight of the Venice Biennale 2024, forms part of the Saison Méditerranée 2026. Shawky questions the authority of written history by staging a musical and theatrical narrative in which performers move against slowly shifting pictorial backdrops.
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The presentation at a major Paris venue extends the reach of Shawky's multimedia approach to colonial narratives beyond its Biennale context. Institutions and collectors tracking his career will observe continued placement of the 2024 work in public programs focused on historical revision. The exhibition aligns with wider programming that pairs cinematic techniques with archival inquiry.
- Artists: Wael Shawky
- Galleries: Lisson Gallery, Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Lia Rumma, Barakat Contemporary
- Museums: Grand Palais
- Locations: Paris
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