b. 1995 - Damascus, Syria
Jawa El Khash is an artist, technologist and researcher who works with contemporary media to craft digital worlds and 3D artefacts. Her practise celebrates and archives ancient Syrian history through creative research and a digital presence.El Khash is pioneering in the fields of contemporary art by specializing with mediums such as holography and WebGL simulations.
Plant life, archaeology and history is a core focus of her practice, inspiring her digital creations. The artist was introduced to the scientific study of flora and fauna at an early age by her grandfather, Dr. Mohamad El Khash, a plant pathologist and agriculturalist who dedicated his life to studying arid zones and dry lands. Throughout her childhood, El Khash frequently visited the ancient site of Palmyra which instilled in her a fascination by the mysteriousness of ancient artifacts.
email: elkhash@protonmail.com
Solo Exhibitions
2020
The Upper Side of the Sky - InterAccess - Toronto, Canada
2019
The Upper Side of the Sky - Extracurricular XYZ - Toronto, Canada
Group Exhibitions
2023
Natures Algorithm - presented by Evergreen Brick Works for the 27th edition of Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival - Toronto, Canada
2022
Replicas - Streams Nuit Blanche 2022 - Art Gallery of York University
2021
5th Istanbul Design Biennial - Empathy Revisited: Designs for more than one - Pera Museum - Istanbul, Turkey
Lumiere 2021 - Digital Artist Exchange - Nova Scotia, Canada
Mutek Festival - 22nd Edition - Montreal, Canada
2020
Western Front - Vancouver Independent Archives Week - The Upper Side of the Sky - Vancouver, Canada
Mutek Festival - Distant Arcades - Montreal, Canada
2020 Emerging Digital Artist Exhibition - Trinity Square Video - Toronto, Canada
The Butterfly Effect - Gallery 44 - Toronto, Canada
Residencies
2020
Lead Time Mentorship Program - Mentored by Morehshin Allahyari - Art Gallery of York University
Artist Talks & Panels
2022
STYLY x InterAccess XR Artist Talk - Featuring XR artists whose ideas and projects push boundaries and expand their fields
2021
Poetics of World Building - hosted by Gabriel Menotti. Presented by Agnes Etherington Art Centre in the framework of the Museum Without Walls project
2020
Posterity & Expatriation: A Conversation Between Jawa El Khash and Dana Qaddah - Vancouver Independent Archives Week
2019
Artist Talk & Tour for the closing of The Upper Side of The Sky - Extracurricular XYZ - Toronto, Canada
2018
OPEN_FILE - Panel Discussion - Extracurricular XYZ - Toronto, Canada
Workshops
2018 - present
Workshops and Seminars on Game Development, Immersive World-Building and Virtual Reality for Gallery 44, Trinity Square Video, InterAccess, Toronto Public Library, Digital Artist Resource Centre and Charles Street Video
Research Assistant
2022
Research Assistant - Artifact Replication & Next Generation Holography - PHASE Lab
2019
Research Assistant - OCAD University - Painting 360 - Veronika Szkudralek
2018
Research Assistant - PHASE Lab - OCAD & STM Holographic: Building a Pipeline from MRI Data to Next Generation Digital Holographic Printer
Intern Research Assistant - PHASE Lab
Press
2021
Episode XI. Media Genealogies and Haptic Geographies - by Alex Estorick and Laura U. Marks - Flash Art Magazine
Circular Logics - A national survey of artists who build worlds beyond the visible - Canadian Art
A World Where Flowers Reign - An essay by Laura U. Marks
2020
The Upper Side of The Sky - An essay by Vince Rozario
Gallery 44 - Interview with curator Heather Riggs
2019
Its Nice That - Jawa El Khash's latest work resurrects lost artefacts in a virtual afterlife
Awards
2021
Sobey Art Award - Long List
2020
Emerging Digital Artists Award - Presented by EQ Bank and Trinity Square Video
2019
Education & Certifications
2022
Abstract FX in Houdini - CG Master Academy
Intro to Unreal - CG Master Academy
Vegetation & Plants for Games using Unreal and Substance Designer - CG Master Academy
The Art of of Lighting for Games using Unreal and Houdini - CG Master Academy
2021
Fundamentals of Houdini for 3D Artists - CG Master Academy
Procedural Modeling for Production in Houdini - CG Master Academy
2014 - 2019
BFA, OCAD Univeristy
Integrated Media: Digital Painting & Expanded Animation
thank you to the generous support of the Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts