Reem Aljeally, (Sudanese, b. 1997), is a multifaceted artist whose work integrates architecture, visual arts, and curation. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the University of Khartoum in 2018. Her dedication to visual arts was marked by enrolling in drawing and painting classes at the Khartoum Arts Training Centre (2019 – 2020), where she was mentored by Hatim Kuku.
In 2019, Reem founded The Muse multi studios in Khartoum, a dynamic organization dedicated to promoting visual arts through training, support, and exhibition opportunities for artists. Her curatorial approach focuses on themes of identity formation within social contexts, the spaces we inhabit, and the evolution of the Sudanese contemporary art scene. She is also the Founder and Director of The Sudan Art Archive, a project aiming to preserve 50 years of Sudanese artistry.
Reem’s artistic practice primarily involves painting, exploring themes of identity, space, memory, and self-image, portraying young women in intimate, contemplative settings. She draws inspiration from personal reflection, observations, and a deep curiosity about women’s daily lives and emotions. Elements like plants and cats frequently appear in her work, symbolizing comfort, optimism, and compassion.
She has held solo exhibitions in both Sudan and Egypt including her display of “Garden of Fake Tulips” at one of Cairo’s historical locations at Maq’ad Al-Sultan Qaitbey – MASQ, (2024). Her international participations included exhibitions as “The Wandering of Dreams” at Melike Bilir, Hamburg, Germany, (2024), Saatchi Art gallery, London, UK, (2023), “ARTLIFE FEST” Art Fair in Moscow, Russia, (2023), “Disturbance in The Nile”, Broteria art gallery, Lisbon, Portugal, (2023) and its second iteration at Casa Arabe, Madrid, Spain, (2024), “The Forest and Desert school revisited” at Circle Art Gallery, Nairobi, Kenya, (2022) and FNB Art Joburg Fair with Eclectica contemporary in South Africa in (2022).
In 2020, Reem was invited to be a resident artist in the “Sudan Moves” residency by Goethe Institute connecting Sudanese and German artists. She has been awarded the Wijhat Travel Grant by Culture Resource in the summer 2022 where she joined the INTERFERENCE International Light Art Project as an Art Mediator and Author. In 2023 she was awarded the Production Fund Grant by the Goethe Institute where she published her first artist book “Inside The Corner Pink House” that accompanied the display of a solo exhibition at Bibliotheque Art gallery, (2024).
Currently residing in Cairo since May 2023 due to the conflict in Sudan, Reem continues to adapt her practice, exploring new mediums such as printmaking, and design, while engaging with Cairo’s vibrant art scene. She leads the Artists Development Program at Ubuntu Art Gallery, fostering artistic growth and collaboration. Reem remains committed to her mission of empowering fellow artists and enriching the art scene, both regionally and internationally.
Photo: Ahmed Fouad
Basics of Drawing and Oil Painting
Training Diploma | Khartoum Arts training centre | 2019 – 2020
Architecture
Bachelors degree | University of Khartoum | 2013 – 2018
Founder, Director
The Muse multi studios | 2019 – Present
Sudan Art Archive | 2022 – Present
Bait Alnisa | 2020 – Present
Muse Gallery | 2022 – 2023
Artists Development Program Coordinator, Ubuntu Art Gallery, Cairo, Egypt | 2023 – Present
Exhibition Designer & Curator, The French Institute, Khartoum, Sudan | 2023
Guest Curator, BetterShared | 2022 – 2023
Art Mediator & Author, INTERFERENCE International Light Art Project, Tunis, Tunisia | 2022
Arts & Culture Projects Manager, Savannah Innovation Labs, Khartoum, Sudan | 2021 – 2022
NextLevel Production Fund Award, Goethe Institute | 2023
Wijhat, Culture Resource | 2022
Sudan Moves Residency, Goethe Institute | 2020
Solo
Garden of Fake Tulips
MASQ, Old Cairo, Egypt, May 2024
Inside the corner pink house
Bibliothek Art Gallery, Cairo, Egypt, January – February 2024
Middle Voids
The French Cultural Center, Khartoum, Sudan, August 2022
Born in Memory
Savannah Innovation Labs, Khartoum, Sudan, February 2021
Group (Selection)
Disturbance in The Nile
Casa Arabe, Madrid, Spain, March – May 2024
Broteria Art Gallery/Downtown Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal, June – July 2023
The Wandering of Dreams
Gallery Melike Bilir, Hamburg, Germany, February – March 2024
Home: A Daydream
Tribal Gallery, Nairobi, Kenya, October 2023
The Gold of the Grandmother
Mouches Volantes, Cologne, Germany, July 2023
Surfacing
Tewasart Gallery, Kampala, Uganda, May 2023
The Forest and Desert School Revisited
Circle Art Gallery, Nairobi, Kenya | November – December 2022
Bad Posture
Ecelectica contemporary, Cape town, South Africa | May 2022
Art in Isolation: Creativity in the Time of COVID-19
Group exhibit at The Middle East Institute, Washington DC. | November 2020 – January 2021
ARTLIFE FEST 2023, ArtLife Academy, Moscow, Russia | November 2023
FNB Art Joburg, Johannesburg, South Africa | September 2022
From Within The City We Began To Look For It, Book Chapter, Decaying Bank: Reproducing Khartoum Visually, Book, The Muse multi studios | November, 2024
Inside The Corner Pink House, Artist Book, The Muse multi studios | December, 2023
REMIXED: Transnational Cities, Gudrun Barenbrock, Article, Tasaworat, Tunis, Tunisia | October, 2022
Between Art Space and The Digital, Dora Hichri, Article, INTERFERENCE International Light Art Project, Tunis, Tunisia | July, 2022
The Rebirth of Dara Art Gallery, Article, The Muse multi studios | May, 2021
Sudan Today, Revolutionary Consciousness & Transnational Solidarity, Orfalea Center | October 2023
Contemporary arts and war in Sudan, INSPIRE PROJECT Seminar | June 2023
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE: Conference by Tasawar Collective, Tunis, Tunisia | July 2022