Waleed Kanoush (b. 1972, Al-Beheira, Egypt) is an Egyptian painter, academic, and cultural leader whose practice is informed by a sustained engagement with the social and political histories of modern Egypt. Alongside an extensive studio practice, his career has moved between artistic production, academic research, education, and cultural administration, positioning him as an active figure within Egypt’s contemporary visual arts landscape.
Kanoush graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts with a degree in Painting in 1994, before completing a Master’s degree in 2002 examining the impact of political and social transformations on Egyptian painting between 1952 and 1973. He received his PhD in Philosophy of Fine Arts in 2006, with research focused on modern Egyptian painting from 1973 to 2000. He joined the Faculty of Fine Arts, Alexandria University in 1996, later serving as Head of the Department of Painting in 2020. His academic work encompasses research, curriculum development, and the supervision of postgraduate studies.
His artistic practice reflects this long engagement with the history and language of painting while remaining attentive to the structures, symbols, and contradictions that shape contemporary experience. Rather than separating formal investigation from intellectual inquiry, Kanoush approaches painting as a space through which established visual codes can be reconsidered, allowing familiar forms and symbols to acquire shifting meanings according to context.
Kanoush has presented ten solo exhibitions and participated extensively in exhibitions and cultural platforms in Egypt and internationally. He represented Egypt at the Ecuador Biennale in 2012 and participated in the 14th Fine Arts Festival in Fez, Morocco, in 2014. Among his distinctions are First Prize in Painting at the 15th Youth Salon (2003), an Honorable Mention at the National Port Said Biennial (2007), and the Alexandria University Scientific Encouragement Award (2018).
His contribution to Egypt’s cultural landscape extends beyond his studio and academic practice. From 2011 to 2022, he served as Director of the Freedom Center for Creativity, and he currently serves as Head of the Fine Arts Sector at the Egyptian Ministry of Culture. His works are held in institutional and private collections, including the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art, the Fine Arts Sector, and the General Organization of Cultural Palaces.
Across painting, scholarship, and cultural practice, Kanoush has developed a body of work grounded in sustained inquiry into the relationship between image, history, and contemporary life.
