Wael Shawky : I Am Hymns of the New Temples

Wael Shawky, a leading Egyptian contemporary artist, is renowned for blending fact and fiction across media such as drawing, painting, performance, music, and film. His site-specific exhibition, “I Am Hymns of the New Temples,” transforms La Grande Halle at LUMA Arles into an immersive space that blurs the boundaries between the metaphysical and the real.

At the heart of the exhibition lies ancient Pompeii, a city preserved beneath volcanic ash for centuries. Its exceptional state offers a vivid record of the diverse cultures that shaped its identity at the crossroads of civilizations and trade. Shawky intertwines history, myth, and contemporary narratives, reimagining the ancient Greek creation myth through a stunning choreography of movement, images, and sound, enhanced by unique sculptural and painterly elements. The work reflects humanity’s enduring quest to understand and give meaning to the world.