Carmine Cartolano aka Qarm Qart was born in 1972 in Buonabitacolo (Salerno). He studied Arabic and Persian at Istituto Universitario Orientale in Naples. Artist, writer and translator he has been living in Cairo since 1999.  He teaches Italian as a foreign language.

Exhibitions

2023 - Cairo Design Week - Cairo (Egypt)

2022 - Nil et une Nuit, solo exhibition on photographs by Maxime Du Camp - Institut Français, Cairo (Egypt)

2020 - Oui, Slips, part of Pop Art from North Africa @Casa Arabe - Cordoba (Spain).

2020 - Imaginary Graffiti Manifesto, solo @Mashrabia Contemporary Art Gallery - Cairo (Egypt)

2019 - The 29th Letter of the Alphabet, collective @Art D’Égypt- Cairo (Egypt).

2019 - Qarboush - Echoes of Naguib Mahfouz, collective @1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair - London (UK).  

2019 - Oui, Slips, part of Pop Art from North Africa @Casa Arabe - Madrid (Spain).

2018 - Telling Tales, Art of Egypt Exhibit, collective @Founoun Gallery - Beirut (Lebanon).  

2018 - Oui, Slips, collective @Outsider Art Fair - Paris (France).  

2018 - Qarboush - Echoes of Naguib Mahfouz, collective @Beirut Art Fair - Beirut (Lebanon).  

2018 - Qarboush - Echoes of Naguib Mahfouz, solo @Mashrabiya Contemporary Art Gallery - Cairo (Egypt).

2018 - From Rags to Riches 2, part of Women by the sea Arts Festival - El-Gouna (Egypt).  

2017 - Oui, Slips, part of Pop Art from North Africa @P21 Gallery - London (UK).

2017 - Breakdance @ 5th International Upper Egypt Salone - Luxor (Egypt).

2017 - Io Lego @SetUp Contemporary Art Fair - Bologna (Italy).

2015 - Circolare, collective, organised by Caravan SetUp (Bologna) @Autostazione di Bologna (Italy).

2015 - Restart, solo @Waset Gallery – Faculty of Fine Arts - Luxor (Egypt).

2015 - Collage, collective @The Print House Gallery - London (UK).

2014 - Restart, solo @Alexandria Center of Arts - Alexandria (Egypt)

2014 - Restart, solo @Mashrabiya Contemporary Art Gallery - Cairo.

2011 - On edge, collective @Mashrabiya Contemporary Art Gallery - Cairo.

2011 - IF, solo @Mashrabiya Contemporary Art Gallery - Cairo.

2009 - Egypt: land of contrasts, collective @Townhouse Art Gallery - Cairo, under the patronage of the European Commission.

2009 - Oum Kalsoum – La quatrième pyramide, collective @Moda Mall at the World Trade Centre - Bahrein.

2009 - Egypt: life in a picture, collective exhibition @Theatre National de Toulouse (France), under the patronage of the European Commission.

2008 - Oum Kalsoum – La quadrième pyramide, collective exhibition, collective @Institute du Monde Arabe - Paris.

2007/2008 - Strange on the ground, collective @Falaky Gallery at AUC - Cairo.

2007 - 2kitching, solo @Mashrabiya Contemporary Art Gallery - Cairo. In collaboration with Derno Ricci.

Books

Momo, مومو, written in Egyptian Arabic, published by Dar Al-‘Ain, Cairo, 2017.

Masriyyano: Yawmiyyat musawwar itàly (Masriyyano: Diaries of an Italian Artist), مصريانو, written in Egyptian Arabic, published by Dar Al-‘Ain, Cairo, 2012.

Translations

I miei sogni nei tuoi, Alawiya Sobh’s novel دنيا, from Arabic to Italian, Mondadori, Milan.

Colazione al Cairo, Muhammad Salmawy’s novel أجنجة الفراشة, from Arabic to Italian, Giunti, Florence.

Essere Abbas Al-Abd, Ahmed Al-Aidy’s novel أن تكون عباس العبد, from Arabic to Italian, Saggiatore, Milan.

القربة, Eduardo Scarpetta’s ‘O Scarfalietto, from Italian to Arabic, Merit, Cairo.

الحركة الماركسية في مصر ـ١٩٦٧ـ١٩٨١ , Gennaro Gervasio’s Da Nasser a Sadat: il dissenso laico in Egitto, from Italian to Arabic, National Centre for Translation, Cairo (in collaboration with Basma el-Morr).