About shemza.digital

“One circle, one square, one problem, one life is not enough to solve it”

Anwar Jalal Shemza, 1962.

The shemza.digital project combines the abstract art of Anwar Jalal Shemza (1928-1985) and the contemporary digital practice of Aphra Shemza, the artist’s granddaughter. 

Launched in collaboration with the computer artist Stuart Batchelor in 2020 and funded by Arts Council England, the shemza.digital project is made for and with the British public. The project creates art that is accessible to all through its educational programme of digital art workshops, hybrid exhibitions and participatory and interactive artworks.

Under the direction of Aphra Shemza the project has recently commissioned NYX & Petit Oiseau to produce a soundscape for the latest exhibition at Wolverhampton Art Gallery. Aphra now works with a team of technical specialists to realise her vision for the project, including Peter Todd, Jamie Howard and Anna Sycheva.

The project is supported by Arts Council England.

Private patrons: Taimur Hassan, Hales Gallery, Amrita Jhaveri, ZVM Rangoonwala Foundation, Olivia Aubry and Ishrat Kanga.

Find out more about becoming a patron - your contribution, no matter how small, helps us to keep our public programming activities free.

Since its launch the project has created public programmes for and been commissioned to create artworks and exhibitions for our partners:

Meet the Team

  • Anwar Jalal Shemza

    ARTIST (1928-1985)

    The project is based on Anwar’s work

  • Aphra Shemza

    ARTIST & MANAGER OF THE ESATE

    Founder and creative direction of the project

  • Stuart Faromarz Batchelor

    ARTIST

    Launched in collaboration with Stuart in 2020

  • NYX

    MUSICIANS

    Commissioned to make soundscape

  • Petit Oiseau

    MUSICIANS

    Commissioned to make soundscape

  • Peter Todd

    ARTIST / PROGRAMMER

    Digital artworks #3, #4, #7, #8 & virtual exhibition

  • Deen Atger

    PRODUCER

    1st Stage of the project

  • Jamie Howard

    PROGRAMMER

    Interactive light sculptures #5 & #6

  • Anna Sycheva

    3D DESIGNER

    Virtual artworks and virtual exhibition

  • Chris MacInnes

    3D DESIGNER

    Virtual sculpture #1

Learn More

Biography

2023:

Workshop: shemza.digital, April 2023, Oriel Davies, UK

Workshop: shemza.digital, 2nd February 2023, MIMA, UK

Commission: shemza.digital, MIMA, UK

Press: Exhibitions of the week, Guardian, UK (Link)

Press: Step into a Digital World, Gorgeous Radio, UK (Link)

Exhibition: Shemza Digital: Across Generations, 14th January - 16th April 2023, Wolverhampton Art Gallery, UK (Link)

2022:

Award: Arts Council England Project grant September 2022

Exhibition & Talk: Art in Flux: Transformations, 22nd September 2022, National Gallery X, UK

Exhibition & Talk: Art in Flux: Access all Areas, 7th July - 1st September 2022, BCS, UK

Workshop: shemza.digital at Postwar Modern with Aphra Shemza, 26th May 2022, Barbican, London, UK.

Workshop: shemza.digital with Aphra Shemza, 2nd March 2022, Clement Saint James, Women’s Big Day In.

2021:

Exhibition: shemza.digital online exhibition 30th September - 30th October 2021.

Exhibition: shemza.digital at Deep AI Art Fair with Art in Flux, 13th-17th October 2021, London, UK.

Talk: shemza.digital online exhibition launch with Aphra Shemza, 30th September 2021.

Workshop: shemza.digital co-creation with Aphra Shemza, 27th September 2021, Woodcraft Folk, Eastbourne, UK.

Workshop: shemza.digital co-creation at Tech Club, 18th September 2021, The Margate School, Margate, UK.

Exhibition: Art in Flux: Reclaimed, 8th-12th September 2021, as part of Ars Electronica Festival.

Workshop: shemza.digital painting and co-creation workshop with Aphra Shemza, 2nd September 2021, DINA.

Workshop: shemza.digital painting and co-creation workshop with Aphra Shemza, 26th August 2021, Aphra Shemza.

Workshop: shemza.digital painting and co-creation workshop with Aphra Shemza, 25th August 2021, Art in Flux.

Workshop: shemza.digital painting and co-creation workshop with Aphra Shemza, 19th August 2021, The Curve, London, UK.

Workshop: Shemza Islamic Digital Painting - 10-16yrs, 2nd August 2021, V&A Museum.

Workshop: Family shemza.digital Painting, 25th July 2021, Festival of Curiosity. (link)

Workshop: shemza.digital at Tech Club, 24th July 2021, The Margate School, Margate, UK.

Workshop: Adult shemza.digital Painting, 23rd July 2021, Festival of Curiosity. (link)

Talk: Anwar Jalal Shemza - A talk with Aphra Shemza, 22nd July 2021, Towner Art Gallery with the Blue Monkey Network. (link)

Exhibition: shemza.digital, 6th - 11th July 2021, The Other Art Fair.

Published: shemza.digital: participatory art as a catalyst for social change, July 2021, EVA London Conference. (link)

Award: Arts Council England Project Grant, July 2021.

Exhibition: Art in Flux: Reclaimed, 24th June - 4th July 2021, as part of Kensington and Chelsea Art Week.

Workshop: Shemza Islamic Digital Painting - Adults, 24th June 2021, V&A Museum.

Workshop: shemza.digital - Digital Painting, 29th May 2021, Once Upon a Time in Animation exhibition programme for Poole Museum, Bournemouth University and the National Centre for Computer Animation.

Workshop: Digital Painting Workshop, 2nd April 2021, Norden Farm Arts Centre.

Talk: shemza.digital with Aphra Shemza, 1st April 2021, Coventry Library.

Exhibition: Art in Flux: Reclaimed, 30th March - 30th April 2021, Art in Flux.

Talk: Art in Flux: Reclaimed, 30th March 2021, National Gallery X.

Workshop: Digital Painting Workshop, 23rd March 2021, The Woodcraft Folk.

Podcast: Aphra Shemza seeks online collaborators, 4th January 2021, Inside the Gallery Podcast. (link)

2020:

Press: Artists Aphra Shemza and Stuart Batchelor invite the public to take part in new collective interactive artwork, 15th December 2020, Fiona Doyle, Artiscape. (link)

Exhibition: Watermans Digital Weekend, 21st - 22nd November 2020, Watermans Art Centre. 

Press: The Top 7 Online exhibitions to see this winter, 22nd November 2020, Tabish Khan, FAD Magazine. (link)

Press: Shemza Digital project squares the circle of interactive online art, 18th November 2020, Berenice Healey, Verdict. (link)

Launch Event: Shifting Ground, 18th November 2020, National Gallery X. 

Award: Arts Council England Project Grant, September 2020.

Press: Art Collective Aphra Shemza & Stuart Batchelor shemza.digital, 30th November 2020, Adam Peter Hicks, Client Magazine. (link)

Press: Aphra Shemza Q&A, November 2020, The Flux Review. (link)