Le Guess Who? is excited to announce the continuation of the collaboration with Centraal Museum. This year, we will present two special audiovisual installations during the festival weekend, 6-9 November. Both are free to attend for festival visitors on presentation of your festival wristband (Day Passes and 4-Day Passes).
Wael Shawky - Drama 1882
With Drama 1882, Egyptian artist Wael Shawky (1971, Egypt) presents a powerful and layered work exploring themes of power, historiography and representation. Wael Shawky’s work often addresses changing societies, focusing on themes of migration, religion and power—always with a nod to contemporary realities.
Drama 1882 centers on a pivotal moment in Egyptian history: the Urabi Revolution (1879 - 1882), a military-led uprising against foreign interference in Egypt. In 1882, the revolution was suppressed by the British, who subsequently maintained control over Egypt until 1956.
Shawky’s work not only reflects on the past but also speaks directly to the present. By blending fact, speculation and fiction, he reimagines history through a unique artistic lens—often an alternative perspective.
Drama 1882 has been jointly acquired by the Bonnefanten (Maastricht), Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and Centraal Museum (Utrecht). This is the first time that the work has been shown in Utrecht.
Richard Mosse - Broken Spectre
Broken Spectre by Richard Mosse (1980, Ireland) is an immersive 74-minute film that documents the immense destruction of the Amazon rainforest between 2018 and 2022. Mosse's multi-layered approach reveals the all-encompassing nature of this devastation. With a haunting soundtrack by Ben Frost, the film alternates between close-ups of the forest and satellite images that reveal the alarming scale of the deforestation.
In an attempt to render the scale and urgency of the Amazon’s extensive, impending collapse, Richard Mosse’s most ambitious work to date employs a dazzling array of photographic techniques. This is the first time that the work is shown in the Netherlands.
Visiting Centraal Museum
Visitors of Le Guess Who? will also have free access to the other exhibitions at Centraal Museum on presentation of their festival wristband (Day Passes and 4-Day Passes).
Top image: video still from Drama 1882 by Wael Shawky
