Egypt's Sisi urges debt cost cuts, tighter fiscal discipline, enhanced social justice    EGP swings vs. USD in early Sunday trade    EGX launches 1st phone app    Egypt achieves record primary budget surplus of EGP 629bn despite sharp fall in Suez Canal revenues    Escalation in Gaza, West Bank as Israeli strikes continue amid mounting international criticism    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Resumption of production at El Nasr marks strategic step towards localising automotive industry: El-Shimy    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Egypt, UNDP discuss outcomes of joint projects, future environmental cooperation    United Bank achieves EGP 1.51bn net profit in H1 2025, up 26.9% year-on-year    After Putin summit, Trump says peace deal is best way to end Ukraine war    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Jordan condemns Israeli PM remarks on 'Greater Israel'    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egypt's FM discusses Gaza, bilateral ties in calls with Saudi, South African counterparts    Egypt prepares to tackle seasonal air pollution in Nile Delta    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt, Colombia discuss medical support for Palestinians injured in Gaza    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt's govt. issues licensing controls for used cooking oil activities    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Egypt's Sisi: Egypt is gateway for aid to Gaza, not displacement    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Quiet sadism sweeps old Cairo
Published in Daily News Egypt on 10 - 02 - 2009

Darb 1718 is the newest non-profit arts center in Cairo. Located in El Fustat, the center strikes an interesting balance between its surroundings of the millennium-old mosques and churches and the collection of contemporary art houses.
Founded by renowned Egyptian contemporary artist Moataz Nasr, the center opened with "Crossings, a collective exhibition that hosted¬¬¬¬ an exceptional array of artists from all over the world. For its second presentation, Darb 1718 is hosting two shows simultaneously: "Pixigrainz by photographer Omar Khodeir, and "In the eye of the Beholder by Ingrid Mwangi and Robert Hutter.
Omar Khodeir is a filmmaker who has devoted seven solid years of his life in Paris to honing his craft and developing photography skills. Currently dividing his time between Paris, Cairo and Vancouver, the artist has assembled a collection of photographs in his new commendable exhibition.
The photographs are untouched, not manipulated either in the darkroom or by any computer software; a refreshing change for the current photography scene Egypt.
The pictures are basically close-ups of various surfaces caught on camera.
The surfaces, be it a wall, a floor or a torn up poster, are presented in an abstract light. The images are somewhat unrecognizable, so much so that one needs to look closer so as not to confuse the work with actual abstract paintings.
Khodeir states it is his main concern "to explore his surroundings, not to alter it, and his show clearly illustrates this concept. The attention to detail and color combinations in the close-ups are exquisite. At a glance, one may assume that notion behind zooming in on an object or space to find a rhythm or balance within its textures is an amateurish proposal. Despite the fact that this may indeed be the case with one piece, it certainly isn't with the entire set of work.
Each and every picture has been framed by a trained eye, and the cropping of the images brings out wonderfully balanced and harmonic compositions both through shapes and colors. Khodeir says that he "wants to find a camera angle from which the forms can be the most they can be. And he does that exactly.
The second floor houses "In the eye of the Beholder and "Constant Triumph, a collection of photographic and video works by Ingrid Mwangi and Robert Hutter. "In the eye of the Beholder is a disturbing video show featuring a European-looking woman, dressed in red and white against a red background, dissecting an eye.
Had one not witnessed such a procedure in a biology class of some kind, one would be inclined to suffer a distressing physical reaction. The idea was to comment on the "greatest asset of women, that being their eyes. The video, if one could endure the aggressiveness jolt instigated by the procedure, is textured and calm, violently contrasting its subject matter.
On the adjacent wall lies another video, "Constant Triumph; an homage to Mwangi's sister, who died at an early age, that charts the last phases in her short life. The video contains several beautiful frames, specifically ones depicting Mwangi's sister in empty expanses of land, or at the doorstep of what appears to be her home.
The absence of the video's protagonist injects the work with a heavy undertone, giving it both depth and sadness. The video is personal and watching it feels like an intrusion of sorts; yet what almost spoils this experience is its close vicinity to the video of the dissected eye. Somehow the works feel unrelated, and having them share such an intimate space leaves the viewer uncomfortable.
This rather uneasy sensation is further augmented with another video presumably displaying the artists' bodies that are branded with random words such as "Cut and "Steal and "Hurt with what appear to be scars is in an opposite space. In front of this video is a disturbing photograph of three children with black eyes that appear gouged out.
Adjacent to both these works is an installation of photographs and videos of the sea, waves and children building sandcastles. This piece is both elating in subject matter while its presentation, predominantly blue in color, is relaxing.
Yet the work, in general, feels completely removed from its morbid surrounding.
Despite the coherence of the ground floor's "Pixigrainz exhibition, the top floor's collection of works is confusing as a whole, in spite of the fact that each of the pieces is remarkable on its own. The work feels aesthetically and conceptually unconnected; a letdown in an otherwise great art space.


Clic here to read the story from its source.