Gypsum Gallery returns with two parallel exhibitions, one by Egyptian Taha Belal and the other by Turkish artist Gozde Ilkin. Belal's exhibit is the second for him at Gypsum. Titled I'm Not Obliged to Do This, this collection of his recent works is inspired by the artist's office job, with objects images, and sculptures from daily life that respond to each other in the exhibition. “Layering materials ranging from silver shards of mirror to soft plastic vinyl, Belal makes delicate composites suspended between something that feels familiar and something entirely unknown,” the exhibition statement on Facebook reads. In the second exhibit titled The Trap, Ilkin also uses objects, but differently. She reworks found domestic fabrics that were gathered over time, to merge them with images, thread and paint. “Her artworks act as an embodiment of personal experience and collective memory and a witness to a layered understanding of identity,” the statement reads. Belal holds a BFA in Studio Art from Pennsylvania State University, USA (2005), and an MFA from the California College of the Arts, San Francisco, USA (2008). His work has been featured in exhibitions around the world, including at MATHAF in Doha, several times in Germany, including at the Museum for Photography, and several times in San Francisco, including at the Haines Gallery and the Pro Arts Gallery. He was nominated for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's SECA Award in 2010. He is co-founder of Nile Sunset Annex in Cairo, a self-funded, independent art space. Ilkin was born in Kütahya, Turkey in 1981. After studying painting at the Fine Arts Faculty of Mimar Sinan University, she went on to complete her master's degree at Marmara University in Istanbul. Her work has been displayed at international exhibitions including in New York, Paris, Stockholm and Munich. In Turkey, the Istanbul Modern Museum and other notable venues have displayed her work. Programme: The exhibition opens on 30 November at 7pm Gypsum, 5 Ibrahim Naguib, Ground Floor, Apt 2, Garden City, Cairo For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture
