MOCA presents the U.S. premiere of Wael Shawky’s (b. 1971 Alexandria, Egypt) widely celebrated film installation Drama 1882. Debuted at the Egyptian Pavilion of the 2024 Venice Biennale, this riveting, moving image work takes the form of an eight-part opera, performed for the camera and filmed in a historic theater in Alexandria. Drama 1882 takes the populist Urabi revolution in Egypt against British imperialism (1879-1882) as its foundation, specifically a cafe brawl between a local donkey owner and a Maltese man that unleashed events that precipitated over seventy years of British colonial rule in Egypt. Seamlessly integrating fact, speculation, and fiction, Shawky proposes alternatives to established records. Sung entirely in classical Arabic by professional performers with sensational costumes and against the backdrop of colorful, expressionist sets, Drama 1882 is a spectacular restaging of historical events and further explores Shawky’s interest in historical counter-narratives, ultimately emphasizing the futility of war while probing the implications of drama itself. According to Shawky, the work “conjures a sense of entertainment, of catastrophe, and our inherent doubt in history.”

Wael Shawky, Drama 1882, is presented at MOCA as part of Wonmi’s WAREHOUSE Programs.

Wonmi’s WAREHOUSE Programs is organized by Alex Sloane, Associate Curator, and is produced by Amelia Charter, Producer of Performance and Programs with Michele Huizar, Programming Assistant, The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles.

Wonmi's WAREHOUSE Programs is founded by Wonmi & Kihong Kwon and Family.

Wael Shawky, Drama 1882, is organized by Alex Sloane, Associate Curator with Clara Kim, Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs.

Major support is provided by the MOCA Global Council.

Exhibitions at MOCA are supported by the MOCA Fund for Exhibitions with major funding provided by Tatiana Botton and Jordan S. Goodman + The Goodman Family Foundation. Generous funding is provided by Michael and Zelene Fowler, The Earl and Shirley Greif Foundation, Jonathan Segal, the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation, and Pamela West.

Performances at MOCA are supported by the MOCA Fund for Performance with generous funding provided by Betsy Greenberg.