Egyptian, born in Algeria in 1980. Lives and works in Cairo, Egypt

Bassem Yousri is a visual artist, filmmaker, and art educator. Within his multidisciplinary practice, he works with a variety of forms that include mixed-media installations in art galleries and public spaces, and experimental and documentary films. Yousri relies on humor and sarcasm as a tool that can reach different audiences from diverse cultures, which allows him to criticize common stereotypes and taboos. While his work is often a commentary on the contemporary Egyptian socio-political situation, what concerns him as an artist goes beyond the limits of that to extend to people and happenings he connects with in different geographical and cultural contexts. Moreover, Yousri’s work investigates issues related to the relationship between form and representation in the context of the exhibition space and public space.

Yousri’s work has been widely exhibited nationally and internationally. Some of the venues that featured his work include the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) in New York, USA; Centre Pompidou in Paris, France; Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE; Mathaf: the Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, Qatar; l’Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, France; the State Museum of Egyptian Art in Munich, Germany; and IVAM (Institut Valencià d’Art Modern) in Valencia; Spain.

Yousri received his MFA in painting, drawing and sculpture from Tyler School of Art – Temple University in Philadelphia in 2009, and his BFA in painting from the School of Fine Arts – Helwan University in Cairo in 2003. He was the recipient of a Fulbright Art’s Grant in 2006, and an AFAC grant in 2012. Additionally, he was awarded several artist-in-residence fellowships by several institutions: ProHelvetia Switzerland, 2020; Vermont Studio Center in USA, 2013 & 2018; Kultur Kontakt Austria, 2017; Arte East in New York USA, 2016; Sharjah Art Foundation in the UAE, 2016; Kansas State University in USA, 2011; and Kala Art Institute in California USA, 2010.