CAIRO: In the past fifty years, the Middle East has experienced a dramatic expansion of cities and urban landscapes. Struggling to find their way through the complex and arduous road of development, major cities in the region have become an architectural kaleidoscope of historical treasures, luxurious skyscrapers and dilapidated slums offering refuge to a fast-growing population. In an attempt to capture the estranging and fascinating nature of urban development, Dutch photographer, Bas Princen, takes us on a visual journey through five cities in the region. The photographic survey, Portfolio of Five Cities, which is presently being exhibited at Townhouse Gallery in Downtown Cairo, portrays the architectural poetry and cacophony found in Amman, Beirut, Cairo, Istanbul and Dubai. Bas Princen's body of work depicts the drastic transformation occurring in all of these cities, which not only share numerous historical and cultural characteristics but also many contemporary challenges. Working in collaboration with leading academics and urban researchers living in the region, Bas Princen thoroughly addresses the economic, social and political dynamics facing the region through a unique spatial approach. His purpose is not to reiterate the widely known inequalities that plague the region, but rather to subtly portray the sense of isolation that is ironically present in all spatial units – be it from any economic or social background. This underlying feeling of alienation prevails in all of his photographs. Whether you are observing garbage infested communities, massive factories designed for cheap immigrant laborers, resorts along a picturesque coastline or gated satellite cities in the desert you are left with a similar sense of isolation lingering in your thoughts. Further exacerbating this striking sense of segregation, Bas Princen intensifies his work through his masterful ambiguity. Despite the fact that you are told which cities are photographed, the location of each piece is left anonymous. When looking at the stunning landscapes, your curiosity takes hold of you and before you know it you are struggling to find clues within each photograph. It is common to find yourself playing with a common observer, both of you racing to see which one of you can identify the colors of the flag in the misty sky or which one of you can read the dirty and blurred symbols on a license plate. But, no matter how meticulously you search for indicators of the enigmatic panorama's place of origin, you cannot put the whole puzzle together. These provocative desolate landscapes induce us to critically discuss and engage with the urban transformation in Egypt and the region. Allow yourself to be enticed visually as Bas Princen transports you into the intimidating and fascinating dynamics of urban development.
