User:Eoghanrdempsey/sandbox

=George Awde=

George Awde (born 1980) is a visual artist currently based in Doha, Qatar. Awde’s photographs explore contemporary masculinity, the “state,” the formation of kinship, and the self, through photographs of young men in the Middle East.

Early life and education
Awde was born 1980 in Boston, Massachusetts and raised by Lebanese immigrants. These experiences helped form his perspective and influenced his work. He received his BFA in Painting from the Massachusetts College of Art in 2004 and his MFA in Photography from Yale University in 2009. Growing up, Awde struggled with the conflict between his Lebanese heritage and artistic identity. The events of the September 11 attacks and the aftermath of anti-Middle Eastern sentiment in the United States pushed Awde to reconnect with his Lebanese roots and explore his Arab roots in his practice.

Art
After struggling with a class assignment that required him to translate his feelings about 9/11 into art, Awde made the decision to fly to the Middle East to reconnect with his identity. His first solo exhibition in 2004 at the Deluxe Gallery in Boston, Massachusetts showed work from his explorations of Yemen.

George Awde's work explores masculinity and youth. He has focused on photographing men and boys, many of his subjects including immigrants to Beirut from Syria. LightWork Gallery's press release for Awde's solo exhibition Scale Without Measure stated that "His pictures explore the way that people interact with one another, and in them one senses a longing to belong." He becomes close with his subjects before photographing an intimate look at their everyday lives and relationships.

Awde is the co-founder and co-director of marra.tein, a residency and research initiative in Beirut. Founded in 2012, marra.tein serves as a space for hosting researchers and artists for residencies, projects, dialogue, partnerships with local institutions, and furthering engagements and practices in Lebanon.

He is a professor at VCUArts Qatar and a member of the Arab Image Foundation board. He co-founded the marra.tein Residency Initiative in Beirut in 2012.

Selected exhibitions
Solo exhibitions


 * 2017 Scale Without Measure: Kathleen O. Ellis Gallery, Light Work. Syracuse
 * 2016 Still Departures: Sultan Gallery. Kuwait
 * 2016 Imagined Measures: Gallery 39K. Lahore
 * 2015 Fragile States: East Wing. Dubai
 * 2014 His Passing Cover: 15th FotoFest Bienniel. O'Kane Gallery, U of Houston Downtown
 * 2011 Quiet Crossings: Korn Gallery, Drew University. Madison
 * 2005 Six Months in Sana’a: UNESCO Palace. Beirut

Group exhibitions


 * 2018 In Transit, Blue Sky Gallery, Portland, OR
 * 2018 74 million million million tons, SculptureCenter, New York, NY
 * 2018 Be Strong and Do Not Betray Your Soul, Selections from the Light Work Collection: Kathleen O. Ellis Gallery, Syracuse, NY
 * 2017 Odarodle: an Imaginary Their Story of Naturepeoples, 1535-2017, Schwules Museum, Berlin, Germany
 * 2017. Paths Within Edges, Photomed Festival, Sation. Beirut
 * 2016 Regards Sur Beyrouth: Photomed: La Friche Belle de Mai. Marseille
 * 2016 In Between/In Transit: Galeri Image, Aarhus. Denmark
 * 2016 Scarlet Muse: Daniel Cooney Fine Art. New York, NY
 * 2016 Alien Territory: Medphoto, Rethymno. Crete
 * 2015 Premiere Biennale Des Photographes Du Monde Arabe Contemporain: Institut Du Monde Arabe. Paris
 * 2015 Greetings To Those Who Asked About Me: Contemporary Image Collective. Cairo
 * 2015 I Spy With My Little Eye...: The Mosaic Rooms. London
 * 2015 I Spy With My Little Eye...: Casa Arabe. Cordoba
 * 2015 I Spy With My Little Eye...: Casa Arabe. Madrid
 * 2015 This Life Called Paradise: Voies Off des Rencontres: Arles. France
 * 2014 Shangri La: Imagined Cities: Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery. Los Angeles
 * 2014 Unsaid, Unheard, Untitled: Villa Paradiso. Beirut
 * 2014 Confluence: Photographic based works from the Contemporary Middle East: VCUQatar Gallery. Doha
 * 2013 Another Time: The Running Horse Contemporary Art Space. Beirut
 * 2013 Covering One's Back: Gezira Art Center. Cairo
 * 2013 I Exist (In Some Way): Look/13: Liverpool International Photography Festival. Liverpool
 * 2013 Open Wound: The Empty Quarter. Dubai
 * 2012 Exposure 2012: Beirut Art Center. Beirut
 * 2012 A Territory of Resistance: The Running Horse Contemporary Art Space. Beirut
 * 2012 The Curve: CENTER. Santa Fe, NM
 * 2012 Le Corps découvert: l’Institut du Monde Arabe. Paris
 * 2012 American Dream: Detroit Project. Detroit
 * 2011 Untitled, 12th Istanbul Biennial: Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts. Istanbul
 * 2010 reGeneration2: Tomorrow’s Photographers Today, Musée de l'Elysée. Lausanne
 * 2010 Night Gallery 2010: Fotoweek DC: Architectural Illuminations. Washington DC
 * 2010 Land - Country Life in the Urban Age: Noorderlicht Photofestival. Groningen
 * 2010 Daydream Nation: Philadelphia Photo Arts Center. Philadelphia
 * 2009 We Belong Together: Space. New York
 * 2008 Photography MFA Thesis Show: Green Gallery. New Haven
 * 2008 X Initiative, Blind Spot Benefit: David Zwirner. New York

Awards

 * 2018 Process and Moving Image, VCUArts Qatar, Exploratory Grant
 * 2017 In Hidden Sight, VCUArts Qatar, Faculty Research Grant
 * 2017 Boffo Fire Island Art Camp: Artist in Residence (Invited by Bidoun)
 * 2017 Digital Methodologies, Mophradat: Grants for Artists
 * 2017 Public Shadows, VCUArts Qatar: Faculty Research Grant
 * 2016 Still Departures, VCUArts Qatar, Faculty Research Grant
 * 2016 Distinguished Achievement in Research, VCUArts Qatar2016 Imagined Measures, VCUArts Qatar: Faculty Research Grant
 * 2015 Light Work. Artist in Residence
 * 2015 Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, Faculty Research Grant
 * 2014 Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, Faculty Research Grant
 * 2014 FOAM: Paul Huf Award, Nominee
 * 2013 Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, Faculty Research Grant
 * 2013 FOAM: Paul Huf Award, Nominee
 * 2013 MACK: First Book Award, Nominee
 * 2012 Aaron Siskind Foundation: Individual Photographer’s Fellowship
 * 2012 Philadelphia Museum of Art: Photography Portfolio Competition
 * 2012 Fulbright US Scholar Grant: Teaching/Research Award, Egypt
 * 2012 CENTER: Choice Awards, Gallerist’s Choice (2nd Place)
 * 2012 FOAM: Paul Huf Award, Nominee
 * 2011 CENTER: Santa Fe Prize, Nominee
 * 2011 Massachusetts Cultural Council: Artist Fellowship, Finalist
 * 2011 Magenta Foundation: Flash Forward, Emerging Photographers
 * 2009 Yale University: Alice Kimball English Travel Fellowship
 * 2008 Yale University: Richard Benson Scholarship for Excellence in Photography'