Shefa Salem, in Arabic: شفاء سالم (born 1996) is a Libyan artist, whose art reimagines Libyan heritage through realistic, large-scale oil-based works and murals. She was listed as one of Middle East Eye's 'Five Emerging Artists to Watch' in 2021.

Biography

Salem was born in Benghazi in 1996.[1] A graduate of the University of Benghazi, she left there in 2021 with a BA in Architecture.[1] Her realistic, large-scale paintings and murals reimagine the history of Libya through its heritage and archaeology.[1][2][3][4] Her first solo exhibition was entitled I Am Libya; it took place in 2021 at the Barah Arts and Culture Centre in Benghazi, where she is based.[2][5] Significant works include Kaska, Dance of War which depicts Libyan soldiers performing a kaska dance of the indigenous Timihu people, first recorded 5000 years ago in Deir El-Bahari.[1][6] Another work Libyan Flute is inspired by an ancient flute which was excavated by archaeologists in Libya.[1] Salem found her inspiration for this by reading the journal Libyan Studies.[2] Another work, Funeral Ritual in the Acacus, is inspired by cave art from the Acacus Mountains dating to 4000 BC that featured a boat containing a group of people, one of whom was upside down and believed to be dead.[2]

In 2021 she was listed as one of Middle East Eye's 'Five Emerging Artists to Watch.'[6] Her work has been compared to that of Tewa Barnosa, Afra Alashhab and Malak Elghuel by art patron Najlaa Elageli.[5] In 2023 she was awarded a grant by Culture Resource (Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy) to produce a new series of work entitled Ethnolibya.[7] The resulting exhibition was shown in December 2024 at Bernice University of Architecture and Urbanism in Benghazi,[8] and in January 2025 at Iskandar House for Arts in Tripoli.[9] Works in the exhibition are inspired by the writing of Muhammad Al-Tarhouni and the poetry of Hamza Al-Falah.[10][11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e El-Assasy, Ahmad (24 November 2021). "Artist Reimagines Libyan History in Paintings". LibyaReview. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d "'I am Libya': 24-year-old artist Shefa Salem re-imagines Libyan history". Middle East Monitor. 23 November 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  3. ^ Morelli, Naima (3 March 2024). "Artists Exploring Libya's History, Cultural Resilience and Rebirth". The Markaz Review. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  4. ^ AlMahdi, Hajir (10 October 2018). "The Spring of Libyan Artists – artmejo". Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  5. ^ a b "War and love in Libya: How grassroots arts organisations are rising after revolution". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  6. ^ a b "'All my work is Libya': Five emerging Libyan artists to watch". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  7. ^ in, Beirut. "Shefa Salem". Culture Resource. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  8. ^ "منصة الدولة | معرض "إثنوليبيا- #Ethnolibya" التشكيلي الأدبي". منصة الدولة (in Arabic). Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  9. ^ الوسط, بوابة. "شفاء سالم فنانة ليبية تروي قصصا بريشة ما قبل التاريخ". alwasat.ly (in Arabic). Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  10. ^ "أعمال تجمع التشكيل بالأدب.. معرض "إثنو ليبيا" سردية تاريخ قبائل البلاد | التلفزيون العربي". التلفزيون العربي (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 21 January 2025. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  11. ^ الوسط, بوابة. "مشروع «إثنوليبيا».. سردية جديدة للتاريخ الليبي". alwasat.ly (in Arabic). Retrieved 16 February 2025.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shefa_Salem
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