Biography
Nelly El Sharkawy (b. 1995, Cairo) is an architect and ballerina who started practicing photography in 2011. From conceptual self-portraits to black and white street photography, El Sharkawy is currently working on architectural photography. Her work has been shown widely in group exhibitions in Egypt at venues such as Gypsum Gallery OVR, Art d’Egypte, Zamalek Art Gallery, Soma Art Gallery, The Arts Mart Gallery, Darb1718, Shnit Film Festival, Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (DCAF), The Palace of Arts, among others. She was nominated for the Foam Paul Huf Award in 2017 and her work was featured in the top ten architectural photographs in The Sharjah Arab Photo Award in 2013. El Sharkawy has won two awards for “Best Innovative Photograph” in the Cairo Camera Club as well as the CIB prize in the 25th Youth Salon. El Sharkawy is currently the Managing Partner and creative director of Cairopolitan, a design boutique and art gallery located in Cairo, Egypt.
CV
SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
2021 Le Carnaval | Gypsum Gallery OVR.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS:
2020 Cairo Art Fair 6th Edition | The Artsmart Gallery, Cairo, Egypt.
2020 Basalet ElMoheb | The Artsmart Gallery, Cairo, Egypt.
2020 DOTS Exhibition | Art D'Egypte, Kodak Passageway.
2020 Bright Lights, Big Shadows Exhibition | The Photographic Gallery, AUC.
2019 Cairo Art Fair 5th Edition | Artsmart Gallery, Cairo, Egypt.
2019 STRATA |Zamalek Art Gallery, Cairo, Egypt.
2019 TAM.Gallery North| Diplo, North Coast, Egypt.
2019 The Summer Affordable Art Show| Artsmart Gallery, Cairo, Egypt.
2019 SHE TELLS |B’sarya Art Gallery, Alexandria, Egypt.
2018 SHE TELLS Photo Art Exhibition, curated by SOMA Art Gallery| Cairo Photo Week, Cairo, Egypt.
2018 Cairo Design Award| Cairo, Egypt.
2018 Sameness, curated by Adsum Art| TU Berlin El Gouna, Egypt.
2018 SOMA Summer Art Collection| SOMA Art Galler, Cairo, Egypt.
2018 The Summer Affordable Art Show| Artsmart Gallery, Cairo, Egypt.
2017 D-tour III| Abngworld & Downtown Cairo, Cairo, Egypt.
2017 Cairo Art Fair III| ArtsMart Gallery, Cairo, Egypt.
2017 SOMA wall at Maison 69| Curated by SOMA Art Galler, Cairo, Egypt.
2017 Kintsugi Exhibition| SOMA Art Galler, Cairo, Egypt.
2017 The Summer Affordable Art Show| Artsmart Gallery, Cairo, Egypt.
2017 The Contemporary Shutter Exhibition curated by Photopia| D-CAF, Cairo, Egypt.
2016 Cairo Art Fair II| ArtsMart, Cairo, Egypt.
2016 Liberalis Institution of Arts| Medicines Du Monde, Cairo, Egypt.
2016 Youth Salon, Kasr al Fenoun| Cairo Opera House, Cairo, Egypt.
2016 The Artists of Tomorrow| ArtsMart, Cairo, Egypt.
2014 Youth Salon, Kasr al Fenoun| Cairo Opera House, Cairo, Egypt.
2014 Photopia Photo Gallery, Westown hub Winter Festival| Sodic, Cairo, Egypt.
2014 Collective photography Exhibition| Al Sawy Culture Wheel, Cairo, Egypt.
2013 Sharjah Award Photo| Sharka, Emirates.
2012 Mashrou3 Hagar: Art Empowers!
| Darb 1718, Cairo, Egypt.
| Alexandria Atelier, Alexandria, Egypt.
|Suhag Culture Palace, Suhag, Egypt.
2012 Collective photography Exhibition| Al Sawy Culture Wheel, Cairo, Egypt.
2011 Collective photography Exhibition| Al Sawy Culture Wheel, Cairo, Egypt.
AWARDS, NOMINATIONS & FEATURES:
2019 El Beit magazine June issue cover
2017 Foam Paul Huf Award Nomination| Foam, Amsterdam.
2016 The Photographers Gallery Instagram takeover by Photopia|The Photographer’s Gallery, UK.
2014 CIB Award, Youth Salon, Kasr al Fenoun| Cairo Opera House, Cairo, Egypt.
2013 Most Innovative Photograph| Cairo Camera Club, Cairo, Egypt.
2013 Architecture Top Ten Nominee, Sharjah Award Photo| Sharjah, Emirates.
PUBLIC SPEAKING/ TEACHING:
2019 Communicating Photography: Presentation Skills for Photographers Talk| Photopia, Cairo, Egypt.
2019 She Tells Artists Talk, curated by Soma Art Gallery| Photopia, Cairo, Egypt.
2018 How to see in Black & White Talk| Photopia, Cairo, Egypt.
2018 TEDx salon’s event; Popcorn|GUC, Cairo,Egypt.
2017 Born to Change curated by Photopia, Cairographie Photography Festival|Darb 1718, Cairo, Egypt.
2017 Street Photography Workshop hosted by Photopia| D-CAF, Cairo, Egypt.
2016 Alternative Conceptul Talk| Photopia, Cairo, Egypt.
2016 Double Exposure Workshop| Cairo Camera Club, Cairo, Egypt.
2015 Mashrou’ El Saada Public Lecture| AAST, Cairo, Egypt.
2015 Double Exposure Workshop| Photopia, Cairo, Egypt.
2014 Egypt’s Female Photographers Talk| Al Sawy Culture Wheel, Cairo, Egypt.