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 FrontVancouver 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

InterAccess Media Arts Award & Prize

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

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