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Mohsen Shaalan (b. 1951) His works are tongue-in-cheek, satirical comments on society. His world is inhabited by people who, with their pet animals and birds, attempt to upstage one another and crowd the frame, as though driven by curiosity and a desire to pose for the camera. Their faces, though cruel, look wryly out at us, sometimes bearing a smile of complicity with the viewer, as though sharing an inside joke with us. In his representational work, he tends towards the dramatic, expressing human ruin, destruction and oppression at the hands of crushing colonial powers. Sometimes he uses wooden boards or pieces of wrinkled material to heighten this effect.

* Impacts reflected on the Artist Mohsen Shaalan at the intellectual and artistic level:

• The most of his artworks contains symbols of literary, social, political and humanity vision.
• His artworks are distinguished firstly on 1972 by its tendency of expressionism. He used in his works the literary symbol in order to express the social and political causes. The figures that he painted in this period of time reveal the high values of expressionism with dramatically sensation. This phase lasts at him with the difference of developing the artistic forms of his works till now.
• On 1987, he organized a solo exhibition about the subject of "El Khamassin", so his works are characterized by the presence of clouds and winds forms which erase several artistic details featured in his works.
• Represented the painting by ink, white&black , the pencils are an important and distinguished feature in his production. He organized a lot of shows in drawing only, beside his participation in the field of oil painting.
• His birth and living in Boulak district, one of a prominent popular district in Egypt, has a great impact on the artist who developed this effect in the most of his works. This also impact on his interests that he expressed to the popular people. He painted their figures and revealed in his works the problems of their daily life in the exhibition that he organized in Complex of Art in Zamalek- Cairo on 1991 with title "Egyptian worries".
• He has a lot of literary tendencies, he writes poetry.
• He is effected by the human figure in the major of his works. The human figure is an essential part in his artworks.
• He is effected by his several gathering with the two late artists Seif Wanly and Tahiya Halim in his atelier.
• He saw in Abdel Hadi El Gazzar an interior closeness in the philosophy of the fusion of folklores inside a surrealism forms with symbolic meanings.
• He adores the generations musician Mohamed Abdel wahhab and think that this great musician help him in entering deeply in the creative process and the painting. He loves also Omm Kalthoum and the lyrics of el Sonbaty and El Kathabguy.

Personal :-

-Born in 1951 -Cairo
-Got BA in art and education in 1974.
-Worked in publishing houses such as Dar al-Shaab, the Egyptian company Advertisement Co.Chairman of the work-design, painting at the Governmental Prints.Then-Director of the Technical Office of the National Center of Fine Arts.
-Assigned director-general of the Management of Traditional Crafts in Al-Ghoury Atelier, 2000.
-Under of the Ministry of Culture for Art Production Centres, Fine Arts Sector, 2001 to 2002.
-Head of the Central Department of Technical Services for Museums and Exhibitions, 2002.
-Head of Fineart Sector - Ministry of Culture 2006.

Membership:-

-Member of the Fine Artists Association.
-Ahlia Arts Society.
-Al-Ghoury Friendship Association.
-Museums Friendship Association.
-Lovers of Nature and Heritage Society.
-The Art Lovers Society.First Member of the International ANNAPRONNA Society in Dominican.


Solo shows:-

-Exhibition in Giza Cultural Palace, 1973. Goethe-Institute Cairo, 1975.
-Exhibition in Goethe-Institute in Alexandria, 1976.
-French Cultural Center, entitled (Drawing on Haze), Cairo 1976.
-Cairo Atelier, 1978.
-Meridian Hotel in Cairo, 1983.
-Exhibition in Sheraton Heliopolis 84-1985.
-Marriott Hotel in Cairo, 1987,88,1989.
-Exhibition Gezira Sheraton Hotel, 1987,1988,1989.
-Exhibition in Arabesque art gallery, 1988,89,90,92,1994.
-Exhibition in Ekhnaton art gallery, Zamalek Arts Center, entitled (Egyptian Worries), 1991.
-Exhibition entitled (Unique Black), in Cairo Atelier, 1995.
-Exhibition in Cairo Atelier, (Meaning Inside Poet)
-Exhibition in Ahram newspaper 1997, 1999.
-Alexandria Creativity Center, 2003.
-Exhibition entitled (Wind Comes) at Salama art gallery, 2005.

Local exhibitions:-

-October war Exhibition 1974.
-Spring Exhibition 75, 1976.
-General Art Exhibition from 1973 to 1999.
-Five Artists Exhibition in Cairo Atelier, 85, 1987.
-Cairo Salon, 82, 83, 1989.
-Ahlia Art Society Salon, from 1984 to 1994.
-Salon of the Lovers of Nature and Heritage, from 1983 to 1997.
-Al-Ghoury Society Artists Salon, from 1986 to 1997.
-Palestinian Intifada, 1990.
-“Garden and the Field” exhibits, 89, 1990 (National Theatre-Shooting Club).
-Fair “a cry for Kuwait”, 1991
-Portraiture exhibition, 1991, Opera House.
-Cairo Atelier Salon, from 1990 to 1997.
–The First Autumn Salon for Mini Works of Art, 1997.
-Egyptian Surrealists Exhibition, companion Slvadora Daley Fair, 1995.
-The 26th National Art Exhibition, 1999.
-The Third Salon of Mini Works of Art, Arts Center, 1999.
-The 27th National Art Exhibition, 2001.
-The 5th Salon of Mini Works of Art, Arts Center, 2002.
-The 6th Salon of Mini Works of Art, Arts Center, 2003.
-The 28th National Art Exhibition, 2003.
-The First Press Illustration Exhibition in Arts Palace, March 2004.
-The Premiere Black and White Drawing Salon in Gezira Arts Center, May 2004.
-The 7th Salon of Mini Works of Art, 2004.
-Still Nature Exhibition (generations, trends techniques), at Gezira Arts Palace, September 2005.
-The 29th National Art Exhibition, 2005.
-Exhibition in Gogan art gallery in Heliopolis on the occasion of the commemoration of the passage of half a century of the departure of the leading artist Ahmad Sabry, 2006.

International exhibitions:-

-The 14th Alexandria International Biennale, 1982.
-The Egyptian Youth Exhibition in Madrid, Spain, 1989.
-The Egyptian Contemporary Art Exhibition in Kuwait, 1990.
-Faust Exhibition in Germany, 1992.
-The Egyptian Cultural Week in Doha, Qatar, 1994.
-Egyptian Contemporary View, in Germany, 1991.
-The International Racism in Toronto, Italy, 1993.
-Asala Art Exhibition in Germany, 1997.
-The 2nd International Exhibition of Drawing on Porcelain at Horizon One art gallery in Mohammed Mahmoud Khalil Museum, Egypt, 2003.


Visits :-

- Netherlands, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, 1972.
- London, 1973.
- Kuwait, 1990.

Scholarship:-

- Instructed oil painting for group of Egyptian and foreigners residing in Egypt, and group of American at the dwelling building of the employees of the American embassy in Cairo, Mahmoud Azmi St., and Zamalek. Among those art pupils was the American artist of (Singapore origin), Rosa Trombetas, who staged many solo exhibitions in several galleries in Egypt, received a tremendous success, latest exhibition at the Hotel Sheraton of Gezira at the beginning of the year 1989.
- Shaalan got participation in cultural activities and membership in most artistic associations and cultural rights in Egypt.
- He has concerns in poetry and music.


Assignments :-

-Commissaire of the Egyptian Pavilion in Sharjah First Biennale, 1993.
-Commissaire of the Traditional Crafts Exhibition in Frankfurt International Book Fair, 2004.

Local and international Who's Who :-

- Mentioned in the Canadian Lyon Encyclopaedia.

Publications :-

- Got the presidency of the International Symposium organized by UNESCO in Beirut to protect the folklore and culture of non-physical, 1999.
- Represented Egypt and the Arab region upon private invitation of UNESCO at the international conference in Washington on the follow-up (recommendations of 1989) of the maintenance of Folklore, 1999.
- Conference of the Centenary of the Woman Emancipation, the Supreme Council of Culture, 2000.
- The 2nd National Forum of Folk Arts, (Folk Legacy) of the Supreme Council of Culture, 2001.
- Held several seminars an thought and culture sessions in many cultural sites including Arts Palace in Zamalek (dialogue of 1990s), Society of Fine Arts (Sculpture of gardens and Squares), the Batik House in Helwan, the Center of Art and Life, Diplomats Club (Muhammad Ali), Mansoura National Museum, the Museum of Victory in Port Said and elsewhere.


Local recognitions :-

-Award for posters from the Year of International Women, 1975.
-Award of the October War Competition 1985, organized by the General Informative Authority.
-Award of Water in Human Life Competition, 1988.


Private collections :-

- Among collections of art lovers in Egypt, USA, Japan, Europe and other world countries.

State collections :-

- National Museum Library (Congress), Washington, America (among private collection of President Jimmy Carter).
- Museum of Egyptian Modern Art.
- Building of Ahram newspaper in Cairo.
- National Bank of Egypt.
- Arab African Bank.
- Egyptian Spain Bank (Exterior Bank) .
- Egyptian Opera House.
- Cairo International Conference Center.
- Mubarak Library (Giza).
- Sheraton Hotel in Gezira.
- Goethe Institute in Cairo and Alexandria.
- Austria Embassy in Cairo.

Sporting General Union of Companies
Sporting General Union of Companies 1985
Sporting General Union of Companies 1986
General assembly of printers affairs in Amiriya
General assembly of printers affairs in Amiriya 1985
Province of Youth and Sports in Giza
Al-Ahlia Association of Fine Arts

23rd National exhibition for Fine Arts
The Syndicate of Fine Arts
1st Sharqah Arts Biennale
6th International Biennale of Cairo

Ministry of Administrative Development
4th Egyptian International Print Triennale
1st National Conference to development the traditional industries
2nd World Exhibition for Art On Porcelain
Exhibition of Arabic Calligraphy
2nd World Exhibition For Art on Porcelain
27th National Exhibition For Fine Arts
4th Session of Nile Salon For Photography
INAPRONNA
SAMANA
22nd Alexandria Biennale of Mediterranean
6th Cairo International Biennale for Ceramics

17th Youth Salon
5th Session of Nile Salon For Photography
5th Egyptian International Print Triennale
9th Cairo International Biennale
23rd Alexandria Biennale of Mediterranean
Faculty of Specify Education - Cairo University
Fine Arts Sector
Egyptian Shooting Club
23rd Alexandria Biennale of Mediterranean
Faculty of Art Education - Helwan University