|
artist statementLamis is particularly interested in the social patterns and psychological experiences of immigrants. Her research explores nuanced themes such as the cognitive dissonance experienced by non-native English speakers—especially Arabic speakers—seasonal affective disorder (SAD) among immigrants from sunnier climates and her current research into traditional grief practices within her culture.
Lamis is focused on visual storytelling, sensory memory and language ambiguity. She presents an interplay between the social, cultural, sensitive, political and mythological. She presents her work to the viewers spatially, guiding their movement by engaging the different senses— visual, olfactory, auditory, tactile and verbal. Her projects are multilayered, reflecting her cultural heritage and the histories that shape her consciousness as an Egyptian. In addition to her individual practice, she is part of an artist duo along with Egyptian artist Mina Nasr, through which they have been working on an ongoing project titled ‘Cooking Sunshine.’ A project that documents traditional food in Egypt that is fermented, dried, curdled or preserved in the sun, and travels around Africa to collaborate on hybrid recipes. |
curriculum vitaeSolo Exhibitions
2024 Navigating Iridescence by Artist duo Lamis Haggag and Mina Nasr. Goethe Institut Johannesburg, South Africa 2018 Towards a More Ambiguous World. Warehouse Gallery. Incheon, South Korea 2014 Wall. Gezira Art Center. Cairo, Egypt 2014 315. Artellewa. Cairo, Egypt 2013 smART talk. Performance by Lamis Haggag and Setareh Minoofar. Little Gallery. Calgary, Canada 2013 Hybrid. Performance piece by Lamis Haggag and Setareh Minoofar. Little Gallery. Calgary, Canada 2012 “Where do I end when at the beginning of an end you are?” University of Calgary, Canada 2011 A series of five attempts. University of Calgary, Canada Group Exhibitions 2024 As We Move Away from the Sun. Winner of Apex Art 2024. Curated by Fatma Hendawy. Allan Gardens Conservatory. Toronto, Canada 2023 Garden of Broken Shadows. Curated by Fatma Hendawy. Critical Distance Center for Curators. Toronto, Canada 2020 Overt: Militarization as Ideology. Curated by Fatma Hendawy. The ArtMuseum. University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada 2020 Sentient Sun. Curated by Philip Ocampo and Rowan Lynch. The Hearth Garage. Toronto, Canada 2018 Railway City Arts Crawl. Curated by Sandra Poczobut. St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada 2017 Lagos Biennale, 1st edition. Curated by Folakunle Oshun. Lagos, Nigeria 2017 Openhaus as part of the Artist in residency programme. Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik (ZK/U,) Berlin, Germany 2016 Bread 2. Darb 1718. Cairo, Egypt 2016 12eme Dak’art Biennale. Biennale for Contemporary African Art. Curated by Simon Njame. Dakar, Senegal 2015 Something Else Contemporary Art Festival. The Belgium Embassy. Curated by Simon Njame. Giza, Egypt 2015 Something Else Contemporary Art Festival. Curated by Simon Njami, and sub-curated by Elena Abbiatici. Darb 1718. Cairo, Egypt 2014 25th Youth Salon. Cairo, Egypt 2013 MFA Downtown. Art Gallery of Calgary, Canada 2013 Convergence: MFA Thesis Exhibition 2013. Curated by Christine Sowiak. Nickle Art Galleries. Calgary, Canada 2013 Salon du Caire. Cairo, Egypt 2012 23rd Youth Salon. Cairo, Egypt 2012 5th Beijing International Art Biennale (BIAB) Beijing, China 2011 22nd Youth Salon. Cairo, Egypt 2011 20-Something. Khan El Maghraby Gallery. Cairo, Egypt 2010 10/10 Exhibition. Heliopolis library. Cairo, Egypt 2010 4th Beijing International Art Biennale (BIAB) Beijing, China 2010 Miniature Pieces Salon. Cairo, Egypt 2010 21st Youth Salon. Cairo, Egypt 2010 5+2. Khan El Maghraby Gallery. Cairo, Egypt 2009 The First Easel and Camera Small Artworks. Cairo, Egypt 2009 9 Promising Artists. Khan El Maghraby Gallery. Cairo, Egypt 2009 Untitled. Gauguin Gallery. Cairo, Egypt 2008 Untitled. Collaborative Installation. Prince Taz Palace. Part of Installation workshop at Cervantes (Spanish Cultural Center) Cairo, Egypt 2008 19th Youth Salon. Cairo, Egypt 2008 Graduates Exhibition. Faculty of Fine Arts. Cairo, Egypt 2008 Untitled. The Spanish National Festival. Spanish Embassy. Cairo, Egypt 2007 Untitled. The Spanish Cultural Center. Cairo, Egypt. 2007 19th Youth Salon. Cairo, Egypt 2006 46th Talae Exhibition. Cairo, Egypt Awards/ Grants 2025 Arts abroad. Canada Council for the Arts, Canada. 2024 Concept to realization grant. Canada Council for the Arts, Canada. 2023 Arts abroad. Canada Council for the Arts, Canada. 2023 Roberto Cimetta grant for cultural mobility in the mediterranean, Paris, France 2022- 2023 Kamel Lazaar Foundation (KLF) Award in collaboration with Artist Mina Nasr 2022 Research and Creation grant. Canada Council for the Arts, Canada 2020 Research and Creation grant. Canada Council for the Arts, Canada 2020 Visual Artists creation projects. Ontario Arts Council, Toronto, Canada 2020 Exhibition assistance grant. Ontario Arts Council, Toronto, Canada. 2018- 2019 Newcomer and Refugee Artist Mentorship grant. Toronto Arts Council, Toronto, Canada 2018 Interaccess Scholarship to SoftWEAR: Wearable Art and Technology Residency. Artscape Gilbratar Point. Toronto, Ontario, Canada 2017 Full travel stipend for the Lagos Biennale. Goethe Institute in Lagos, Nigeria 2017 Moving MENA Travel Stipends grant. Goethe Institute in Cairo, Egypt 2016-2017 Tajwaal for International mobility fund. Al Mawred Al Thaqafy 2014 Royal Ceramica Award. 25th Youth Salon. Cairo, Egypt 2013 The Salon du Caire Award. Cairo, Egypt 2012- 2013 Alberta Foundation for the Arts scholarship (AFA) University of Calgary, Canada 2011- 2013 Full MFA Tuition Funding. University of Calgary, Canada 2010 El-Salon Award. 21st Youth Salon. Cairo, Egypt Residencies May 2025 Àsìkò Art School, Cairo, Egypt Feb -May 2024 Artist in residence at lapa project and residency space for the Imbibe earthen processes session. Johannesburg, South Africa Jan - Feb 2024 Artist in residence at Mouhit space. Tunis city, Tunisia Dec 2022 Artist in residence at Fekra Cultural center, Aswan, Egypt July- Aug 2022 Artist in residence at Doris McCarthy AIR program. Toronto, Canada Oct- Dec 2021 Artist in residence at Fonderie Darling. Montreal, Canada Jun 2018 – Aug 2018 Artist in residence at Incheon Art Platform. Incheon, South Korea Jun 2018 SoftWEAR: Wearable Art and Technology Residency. Artscape Gilbratar Point. Toronto, Ontario, Canada Jun 2017- Aug 2017 Artist in residence at Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik (ZK/U,) Berlin, Germany Publications 2023 First edition of Cooking sunshine, a collaborative work with Mina Nasr, Cairo, Egypt 2020 Dust colored skies, a collaborative text with Marina Fathalla, part of Sentient Sun. Curated by Philip Ocampo and Rowan Lynch. The Hearth Garage. Toronto, Canada 2018 Article series Notes by an Egyptian Resident Artist in Jung-gu. Incheon Foundation for Arts and Culture (IFAC.) Incheon, South Korea 2013 Master thesis paper published. Book Title: Re-territorialization: escaping the frame. Lambert Academic publishing (LAP.) Saarbrücken, Germany Mentorship/Curating Jul 2024- Jan 2025 Habasooda: Black Seed Lab Position: Mentor Event: Black Seed Lab Mentorship Aug 2023- Aug 2024 Neilson Park Creative Center, Toronto, Canada Position: Mentor and Curator Event: Lingering an Exhibition For Newcomer, Immigrant and Refugee Artists Professional Experience Jul 2025 Workman Arts, Toronto, Canada Position: Art Installer Event: Being scene exhibition Jul 2025 Whippersnapper gallery, Toronto, Canada Position: Art Installer Event: Solidarity seeds exhibition April- May 2023 Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, Canada Position: Installation Technician Event: Rumi Sept 2020- Sept 2023 Neilson Park Creative Center, Toronto, Canada Position: Online Art Instructor Sept- Oct 2022 Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, Canada Position: Installation Technician Event: To Afghanistan with love Aug- Sept 2022 The image center, Toronto, Canada Position: Art Installer Event: Deanna Bowen. Black Drones in the Hive Jun 2022 Different locations, Ontario, Canada Event: Deinstalling the Toronto Biennial (TBA) Position: Art Installer Sept 2020- present Nielson Park Creative Center, Toronto, Canada // Position: Art Instructor Jun 2020- present Mokhtabar program for experimental films and video art (MAEV) from Arabic speaking countries and Diaspora, Toronto, Canada Event: Mokhtabar TAF July 2020 Position: Co-founder and Director of Programming Sept 2019 Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, Canada Event: Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: Art, Culture, and Exchange across Medieval Saharan Africa Position: Installation Technician Jun 2019 Koffler Studio Offsite Afterschool program, Toronto, Canada Event: Thorncliff Park School grade 5 students Position: Art Installer May 2019 Marina Fathalla’s Mall Walk. Sheridan Mall, Mississauga, Canada Event: Re: placement, can we find a way? Apr 2019 Sameer Farouq Exhibition Boop Museum Visual Arts Centre Of Clarington, Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada Position: Artist Assistant Dec 2018- Jan 2019 Visual Arts Centre Of Clarington, Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada Position: Art Installer and Artist Assistant Event: Jane Eccles’ and Ron Benner’s Exhibition Mar 2018- May 2018 The Red Light District Theatre company. Buddies is Bad times Theatre. Toronto, Canada Position: Assistant set designer Event: LULU v.7 // aspects of a femme fatale Jul 2014- Apr 2016 Shakti Art School. Cairo, Egypt Position: Art instructor May 2015- Jul 2015 Cairo Lab for Urban Studies, Training and Environmental Research (CLUSTER) Position: Exhibitions Coordinator Event: Beyond the lines exhibition and ecohouse as part of Egypt’s 1st Urban Forum (EUF) Jan 2015- Apr 2015 Downtown Contemporary Art Festival (D-CAF) Cairo, Egypt Position: Visual Arts Coordinator Event: D-CAF’s 4th edition June 2014 Junior summer program. American University in Cairo, Egypt Position: Art Teacher Jan 2013- Apr 2013 Camera Equipment Room, Department of Art, University of Calgary, Canada Position: Archiving Cameras and Camera Equipment Sept 2012- Dec 2012 Printmaking, Department of Art, University of Calgary, Canada Position: Teaching Assistant May 2012- Jun 2012 Department of Art, University of Calgary, Canada Position: Assistant Technician Sept 2011- Dec 2011 Drawing, Department of Art, University of Calgary, Canada Position: Teaching Assistant Sept 2010- Aug 2011 Art Zone Art Center. Cairo, Egypt Position: Art Instructor Oct 2009- Apr 2010 St. Fatima International School-British System. Cairo, Egypt Position: Art Teacher Educational Qualifications 2011- 2013 Master of Fine Arts (MFA) University of Calgary, Canada 2003- 2008 Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA, Hons.) Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt |