Cairo's art venues have prepared a range of interesting exhibitions as 2013 draws to a close. Among this December's highlights is a solo show by prominent contemporary artist Huda Lutfi at Townhouse Gallery, and solo exhibitions by Sudanese artists Mutaz Al-Emamat Gallery Misrand Sala Al-Mur at Mashrabia Gallery. Check out the full list below. Blink: Collective exhibition at Medrar Curated by prominent contemporary visual artist Shady El-Noshokaty, 'Blink' is an exhibition featuring projects by students from the American University in Cairo's Visual Arts Department until 25 December at Medrar for Contemporary Art. The works showcased range from photography to experimental animation to audio and video projects. "The artworks, presented by 21 students, explore the moment of art making that turns an idea into a unique creation process," reads the curatorial statement. The exhibition runs until 25 December. 7 Gamaleddin Aboul-Mahasen Street, First Floor, Apartment 4, Garden City, Cairo ## Le Nouvel Orientalisme: Katherine Bakhoum at Safarkhan Art Gallery French-Egyptian artist Katherine Bakhoum once again exhibits at Safarkhan. This time, she presents her collection "Le Nouvel Orientalisme." Bakhoum was born in Cairo in 1949, but toady she resides and paints in Paris. An air of nostalgia pervades her work, which is heavily influenced by Orientalist-style painting. Her canvases often capture figures with an ethereal quality. The exhibition runs until 28 December. 6 Brazil Street, Zamalek, Cairo ## The House of Sleep: Doa Aly at Gypsum Gallery The recently launched Gypsum Gallery in Zamalek hosts a solo show by Cairo-based artist Doa Aly. "The House of Sleep" features paintings and drawings inspired by the tragic love story that unfolds in The Metamorphoses, a poem by the Roman poet Ovid. "As in many of her earlier video works, Aly's engagement with mythology and turn-of-the-19th-century fiction is based on a close reading of tales of passion and longing," reads the curatorial statement. The exhibition runs until 7 January. 5a Bahgat Ali Street, Zamalek, Cairo ## 15 Years: Three Exhibition at Townhouse Gallery Townhouse celebrates its first fifteen years with three exhibitions to "celebrate our history while looking towards the future," according to their press release. Two solo exhibitions by prominent contemporary artists Huda Lutfi ("Cut and Paste") and Lara Baladi ("Freedom is Coming") will run in December. Lutfi and Baladi, both internationally renowned artists, exhibited their artwork at Townhouse's fourth exhibition in March 1999. The third exhibition, dubbed "Social Security," is an experimental collective working space for emerging artists. The first floor of Townhouse will be transformed into studio areas for visual artists, graphic designers and a filmmaker, who will use the space throughout December to collaboratively develop "alternative forms of fundraising and new tactics for sustainability," according to Townhouse. The exhibition runs until 8 January. 10 Nabrawy Street, off Champollion Street, Downtown, Cairo ## The Journey: Mohammed Sabry at Al-Masar Gallery Al-Masar Gallery is hosting an exhibition entitled The Journey" featuring a rare collection of artworks by prominent Egyptian artist Mohamed Sabry. The exhibit showcases paintings from the artist's collection from 1941 to 1967, a snapshot from his 75-year artistic journey, as he celebrates his 95th birthday. The show features works in oil paint and pastels. The exhibition opens 7 December and runs until 9 January 2014. Baehler's Mansion 157b, 26 July Street, Zamalek, Cairo ## "Facets of Indo-Islamic Architecture" in Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture The exhibition includesa selection of photographs taken byMohamed El-Deefrom a variety of different Islamic monuments in India, including the Taj Mahal, the Agra Fort, and the Charminar in Hyderabad. El-Deeb is an orthopaedic surgeon and a passionate photographer, with numerous exhibitions to his credit. He is the General Secretary of the Egyptian Salon of Photography, and member of various Societies of Photography including the Royal British Society and the Saudi Photography Society. He has held exhibitions at various cultural centres in Egypt as well as abroad, including Switzerland, London and Vienna. The exhibition opened on 11 December and will continue until 24 December. Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture, Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture, 23 Talaat Harb, downtown Cairo 24thYouth Salon in the Palace of Arts The Youth Salon, which launched on 15 December, is an annual competition and exhibition in which a number of young artists submit their work and a committee selects the best art to be showcased in the final salon, giving awards to outstanding pieces. The initiative was launched by the Ministry of Culture in 1989 to support emerging visual artists. The salon helped kick off the careers of many prominent contemporary Egyptian artists, including visual artist Hany Rashed and renowned sculptor Ahmed Askalany. A number of veteran Egyptian artists such as Mohamed Abla also started out as members of the Youth Salon. Palace of Arts, Cairo Opera House grounds, in front of Music Library, Zamalek, Cairo Sound Interpretations: Mutaz El-Emam at Gallery Misr A solo exhibition entitled "Sound Interpretations" featuring works by Sudanese artist Mutaz El-Emam opens 18 December at Gallery Misr. The show is curated by artist and curator Maie Yanni. El-Emam's artistic practice includes painting, drawing, mixed media, and collage. The artist resides between Egypt and Sudan, and participates in regional and international exhibitions. The exhibition opens 18 December and runs until 11 January. 4 A Ibn Zanki Street, from Hassan Sabry Street, Zamalek, Cairo ## References: Artists Activating the Archive: Collective exhibit at CIC Curated by Hala El-Koussy and Uriel Orlow, "Reference: Artists Activating the Archive" presents four projects that are the final results of over a year of research and development. The projects were selected to be developed following a workshop that took place at Contemporary Image Collective (CIC) in 2012, led by El-Koussy and Orlow, in which the potential for research and archiving for contemporary art was explored. The four installations by contemporary artists Amado Alfadni, Mariam Elias and Marwa El Shazly, Aliaa Salah, and Nada Shalaby each address "a place and its attendant narratives that connect different layers of history with the contemporary," the exhibit's press release explained. The exhibition runs until 12 January. 4th Floor, 22 Abdel Khaled Tharwat Street, downtown Cairo ## The Clown Laughing and Crying: Omar El Nagdi at Picasso Art Gallery Born in Cairo in 1931, Omar El-Nagdi is one of Egypt's most prominent artists. He also delves into sculpture, film direction, music and philosophy. His works have been exhibited in Egyptian museums as well as international museums and exhibitions, including in Italy, France, the UK, the USA, among others. El Nagdi's solo show, entitled "The Clown Laughing and Crying" will open 22 December at Picasso Art Gallery. The exhibition runs until 16 January. Picasso Gallery, 30 Hassan Assem Street, from Brazil Street, Zamalek, Cairo ## Eyes Stream: Salah El-Mur at Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art Painter and photographer Salah El-Mur was born in Sudan in 1966. The artist has also directed six short films. His paintings have been exhibited in Egypt, the UAE, Sudan, Syria, Jordan, among other locations. In this exhibition, “Eyes Stream,” he drew inspiration from the name of an ancient wall in Cairo, "Wall of Hungarian Eyes." He meditated on the label, and decided to explore the human eye in this series of paintings. The exhibition runs until 16 January. 8 Champollion Street, downtown Cairo ## WHY: Nadine Hammam at ArtTalks Zamalek's ArtTalks Gallery is hosting Nadine Hammam's fourth solo exhibition, entitled “WHY.” The Cairo-based, multidisciplinary artist often puts social taboos and gender dynamics into question, exploring the structures pervading Middle Eastern society in artworks produced in various media, including painting, text, sound, video, and installation. In this exhibition, Hammam takes a closer look at the word “why.” By rearranging fragments of broken mirrors on canvas to spell out words such as “love, lust, forever,” the artist places the audience in her artwork. The exhibition runs until 15 January. 8 Al-Kamel Mohamed Street, Zamalek, Cairo ## Sheer Strength: Collective exhibition at GIZ The exhibition, opening 1 December at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) office, in collaboration with the Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art, brings together four contemporary female artists. The exhibit, entitled "Sheer Strength" will feature works by Hala Abu Shady, Dina El-Gharib, Souad Abdel-Rasoul and Fadwa Ramadan. The diverse showcased collection includes paintings, drawings, collage, and digital photography. The exhibition runs until February 28. 4d El-Gezira Street, Zamalek, Cairo ## To send us your art space's updates please email: [email protected] http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/89159.aspx
