Cover Lines
The cover artwork for this issue of Q+A is by Egyptian artist Wael Shawky
One of the most influential artistic voices of his generation and the artistic director of both Art Basel Qatar (see Epic Vision) and the Fire Station (see Kindling a Creative Future). Across film, painting and performance, Shawky’s practice is defined by a sustained interrogation of how histories are constructed, mythologised and become accepted truth.
The cover drawings originate from Isles of the Blessed, Shawky’s sixth solo exhibition with Lisson Gallery, presented in New York in 2022-23. Closely connected to the single-channel film Isles of the Blessed (Oops!… I forgot Europe), 2022, the works expand on the artist’s exploration of how myth becomes belief. Featuring clay variations of Shawky’s signature marionettes, the film retells the classical Greek tale of Cadmus, Harmonia and Europa, reimagining pivotal lore in the founding of Europe.
These drawings are studies for paintings presented alongside the film that layer magical and mythological scenes onto historical narratives, exploring the idea of history as a construct. As with much of Shawky’s work, the images resist fixed interpretation, instead inviting viewers to consider how myths endure, migrate and shape the stories we continue to tell ourselves.
