Giuliana Bruno in conversation with Wael Shawky, Harvard Art Museums | Oct. 15 6pm HAM
Giuliana Bruno in conversation with Wael Shawky
and Screening of I Am Hymns of the New Temples,
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Wael Shawky, Film still of I Am Hymns of the New Temples, 2023. © Wael Shawky. Courtesy of the artist and Galleria Lia Rumma, Milan/Naples.
Lecture
6:00pm - 8:30pm
In-Person
Harvard Art Museums, Menschel Hall, Lower Level
32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA , Enter at Broadway for evening programs
This event encourages but does not require registration; see further details below.
Join multidisciplinary artist Wael Shawky for a screening of his film I Am Hymns of the New Temples, a theatrical play that explores the persistence of Greek mythology in cultures around the Mediterranean. Following the film, Shawky will be in conversation with Harvard professor Giuliana Bruno, who recently published a monograph on this work.
Wael Shawky was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and works between Egypt, Philadelphia, and Qatar. His practice focuses on the movement of culture, identity, and feelings of national belonging through narratives of history, literature, mythology, and art. He represented Egypt at the 2024 Venice Biennial.
About the film:
I am Hymns of the New Temples انا تراتيل المعابد الجديدة, (2023, Classical Arabic with English subtitles; 55 min.)
The film I Am Hymns of the New Temples – انا تراتيل المعابد الجديدة was commissioned by the Archaeological Park of Pompeii as part of the Pompeii Commitment. Archaeological Matters program. The work is the winner of the public notice PAC2020–Piano per l’Arte Contemporanea 2020, promoted by the Italian Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Ministry of Culture.
Speakers:
Wael Shawky, Artist
Giuliana Bruno, Emmet Blakeney Gleason Research Professor of Visual and Environmental Studies, Harvard University
Mitra Abbaspour, Houghton Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Division of Modern and Contemporary Art, Harvard Art Museums
Free admission, but seating is limited and registration is encouraged. Register here.
The lecture will take place in Menschel Hall, Lower Level. Doors will open for seating at 5:30pm from the Broadway entrance.