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The Speakers Leading the Conversation on AI Art at techQualia Gallery

From December 15th to 17th, techQualia Gallery will feature an outstanding lineup of regional AI artists, panellists and speakers.

Cairo Scene


If you’re online, you’re already exposed to artificial intelligence - and consequently, to the heated discourse surrounding it. Far from the polarised opinions and social media trends taking over our feeds, a team of Egyptian artists and researchers are creating a space to experience and examine the intricacies of AI, art and the fusion between the two at techQualia Gallery in Heliopolis’ Sultana Malak Palace from December 15th to December 17th. 


Led by techQualia, a regional AI research entity and part of Egyptian AI and data science company Synapse Analytics, the serve as a multidisciplinary space to explore the controversies and implications of AI art, while bringing local artists’ AI endeavours to the forefront. Amidst the experiments and the experiences, these artists, panellists and speakers will share their thoughts on this emerging technology - and the promises it holds for the future.

 

Timmy Mowafi, Co-Founder of MO4 Network

Moderator


Timmy Mowafi is a British-born Egyptian entrepreneur, writer and creative director, and the co-founder of MO4 Network, which oversees 11 leading regional digital publications. Over the past decade, he has developed marketing strategies and content for some of the world's leading brands. In 2021, fascinated with the technologies shaping the future of the creative economy, Mowafi founded NFTY Arabia, an NFT marketplace and launchpad dedicated to empowering creatives across the region, as well as NFTYScene, a digital platform focused on Web3. Mowafi will moderate an interdisciplinary panel discussion on December 15th.


Tarek Attia, Director of AUC’s Tahrir Cultural Center

Keynote Speaker


An award-winning published writer and media entrepreneur, Tarek Atia is the Managing Director of the American University in Cairo’s Tahrir Cultural Center and Campus, a space for local cultural activities and artists. Attia will give the keynote address on techQualia Gallery’s opening night on December 15th. 


Ahmed Abaza, CEO of Synapse Analytics

Panellist


Ahmed Abaza is the co-founder and current CEO of Synapse Analytics, an Egyptian data science and AI company specialising in Machine Learning Operations (MLOps), and is credited with assisting more than 30 companies and organisations in six different markets with their AI implementation and adoption activities. Abaza has extensive experience in industrial automation, information technology, consulting, and organisational development as well as a background in electronics engineering. 


Ahmad Saqfalhait, Associate Chair of AUC’s Department of the Arts

Panellist


Ahmed Saqfalhait has recently launched a new multidisciplinary game design minor at the American University in Cairo, bringing together the gaming industry and academia, Saqfalhait also has extensive design and design education experience, and will be part of techQualia Gallery’s panel discussion on December 15th. 


Mahmoud Khattab, Photographer and Writer

Exhibiting Artist


Mahmoud Khattab is a self-taught Cairo-based writer and photographer, and a member of Everyday Africa, Everyday Middle East and the African Photojournalism Database APJD of World Press Photo. Khattab’s work is defined by years of patiently documenting and observing the changing landscape in Cairo.


Khaled Khalifa, Multidisciplinary Artist

Exhibiting Artist


Based in Nicosia and Cairo, Egyptian multidisciplinary artist Khaled Khalifa explores socio-cultural constructs, and personal and shared identities, by archiving elements of physical and digital life.


Aida El-Oweidy, Visual Artist and Graphic Designer

Exhibiting Artist


Aida El-Oweidy is a visual artist and graphic designer based in Cairo, and a co-founder of the ZayMaTeegy initiative. Her work tackles themes of space, rituals, and collectivity and she navigates various mediums including VR, performance, drawing and text. 


Agnes Michalczyk, Visual Artist and Educator

Exhibiting Artist


Having previously taught at the German University in Cairo, Agnes Michalczyk uses street art to reframe public spaces in Cairo from a gendered perspective. The visual artist’s work encompasses Cairene urban spaces and urban heritage through augmented reality and projection.