CAIRO: Hala ElKoussy's Al Khawaga & Johnny Stories, now on exhibition at Townhouse Gallery in downtaon Cario, tells the tale of modern day Cairo and the lingering legacy of its colonial occupiers. The exhibition features an archive of images, photographs, books, documents and advertisements from the era, exploring Cairo and the influences of the British and French in the city. The production's name—“Khawaga & Johnny” come from colonial era Egyptian terms—“Khawaga” being an Arabic colloquialism for “foreigner,” that carries implications of both resentment and respect, and “Johnny”– a nickname for British soldiers. “Somehow the regular average British person today would not feel any involvement with an Egyptian person, beyond the thought that they might have gone there on holiday and there are pyramids there,” said ElKoussy, commenting in an interview with Culture24. ElKoussy pointed out that only 60 years ago, the British were still in Egypt creating an undeiable impact on the country. The artists's own film, “In Search of a City (In the Papers of Sein)” plays accompanying the exhibit. It was created by ElKoussy to tell the tale of modern Cairo through the journey of the protagonist Sein. With Sein, the viewer sees both the city and the historical highlights of the last 200 years in Cairo, which still echo through the city to present day. Mirrors flank the walls of the exhibit, an idea that ElKoussy had to incorporate the viewer into the exhibit. “The idea is that you do not feel that any one wall is closed on itself so each wall reflects the other walls. But also that you see yourself reflected in the work and are somehow in that way involved,” the artist explained. “I'm trying to look at this history of Cairo from alternative points of view. And I've come to this connection to the foreign presence which has been instrumental to how things are today.” The exhibition will be on until January 23 at the Townhouse Gallery in downtown Cairo. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/mivVJ Tags: Khawaga & Johnny, Townhouse Gallery Section: Culture, Entertainment
