There are streets that we walk through every day, and it's quite likely we feel that we know them. We have encountered the folks that inhabit them: the newspaper vendors, tissue peddlers, the creeps, the showmen. We are familiar with their (...)
CAIRO: Hazem Abu Ismail was there, in downtown Cairo on Friday April 6. Protests were held on this day over concerns that two of his family members held different citizenships, causing Abu Ismail's presidential candidacy nomination to be rescinded. (...)
The most recent attempts by the country's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to police the minds of Egyptians has led to a gregarious poster campaign around Cairo. Large photographs of a soldier cradling a baby with the slogan “Al-Gaysh wa (...)
Egyptian art lovers are being offered a rare glimpse at contemporary Syrian art in the exhibition currently showing at Mashrabia Gallery.
With little sign of abating, clashes between Syrian forces and protestors in Homs, Deraa and other cities (...)
“I see long streams, which are heavy, strong, dark and constant … I find them abstract, and rather incomprehensible, flowing recklessly most of the times. I call them ‘currents.' And I see finer streams. They are shorter in length and momentary in (...)
It is usually a bad omen to walk into a gallery and find out that the collection on display belongs to the ruler of the country that the gallery is named after. Luckily for the art-going public with access to the new American University in Cairo (...)
The “RGB” exhibition at the Townhouse gallery is a dark horse.
I must admit that I didn't get it at first; I had become lazy, and I almost chose to agree with my equally lazy friends about this show. But RGB is one of those rare moments where you (...)
Two Cairene galleries exhibited ruminations on revolutions in the environment, but the difference between the success of the two is obscene.
The French Cultural Center in Mounira hosts a marvelous show about the Egyptian uprising: “Field Statements: (...)
In the elegant Mashrabia Gallery, tucked behind Talaat Harb Square, an exhibition entitled “On Edge” opened the fall season. But what exactly is “On Edge”?
As is common of group shows in the city, the works of the 14 participating artists seem to (...)
Ali Farzat is a hero. He has been criticizing – through his cartoons – the Assad governments since the mid-1960s. But when protests began to intensify against second-generation-despot Bashar al-Assad, something about the scale of government (...)
Waleed Farouk, as they say, is a man of many hats. Among the most distinguishable is the jaunty kelp-green beret that sits atop his head on most weekdays. Another of these hats is his role at the helm of the recently established Nabta Art Center, (...)
For the established social sets of New York, London and wherever else the wealthy gather, the art auction is a beloved institution. In a wonderful melange of affluence, culture and philanthropy, the art auction expresses the desire and temperament (...)
Ramadan. For the hungry, frustrated masses, the heat of Cairo in mid-August can fatigue a gentle soul more than the daily impediments in this magical, fetid city. For those desiring a diversion, Darb 1718 is currently holding an exhibition that will (...)
In the most fitting of locations, the sculpture exhibit at the Alexandria Natural Symposium for Sculpture in Natural Material has chosen to take advantage of what both the natural world and the so-called “material world” have to offer: the (...)
On Saturday, July 31, Bibliotheca Alexandrina welcomed the Turkish Golden Routes music festival to Alex's fair harbors, for a sublime evening of classical Turkish music. The concert stage was set on the plaza with the audience facing the sea.
A (...)
Nestled amongst Mohandiseen's winding streets, Gallery Cordoba is currently showing “Le Model,” a hodgepodge of 45 paintings by 15 Egyptian artists — including Salah Taher, Ahmed Nawwar, Samir Fouad, Yasser Nibayal, Ibrahim El-Dessouki and Hussein (...)
The year 2010 marks two momentous episodes in the history of Mexico, both are 100 years apart. The first is the bicentennial of the Mexican War of Independence (1810–1821). The second is the centennial of the Mexican Revolution.
To celebrate both (...)
Between the cities of Nazareth and Nablus, in the north of the West Bank, lies the city of Jenin. Perhaps most famous for its strident armed resistance during the Second Intifada a decade ago, Jenin has changed significantly since then.
Proof of (...)
Following a series of unsuccessful editions of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) that coincided with the rise of emerging festivals in the region, Minister of Culture Farouk Hosny has finally petitioned for outside help.
Youssef (...)
Nabiha Lotfy's new documentary, “Carioca,” pays tribute to the legendary Egyptian belly dancer and actress, Tahia Carioca. For most Egyptians, the late Carioca is mostly perceived as the country's greatest dancer. What Lotfy attempts to accomplish (...)