Mashrabia Gallery will host an exhibition by artist Qarm Qart titled QARBOUSH: Echoes of Naguib Mahfouz.

The artist takes the iconic Cairo Trilogy novels of Naguib Mahfouz as a starting point, and as a lens through which he views contemporary Egypt.

The Tarboush - a brimless hat worn in Egypt and Muslim countries until the early 20th century - is at the heart of this vision, bridging past and present.

Now a historical relic weighted with symbolism of status and gender privileges, the tarboush serves as the artist’s canvas on which he stitches images from Mahfouz’ Palace Walk (Bayn Al-Qasrain), Palace of Desire (Qasr Al-Shawq), and Sugar Street (Al-Sukkariyya).

Qarm Qart (Carmine Cartolano) is an Italian artist, writer and translator based in Egypt since 1999.

In Egypt he has been showing his work in solo and group shows since 2007, several times at Mashrabiya, as well as at Townhouse and the Alexandria Center of Arts among others. His latest was joining From Rags to Riches 2, part of Women by the sea Arts Festival that was held in Gouna.

Internationally he exhibited in Italy, Bahrain and France, and London where he joined the group exhibition titled Oui, Slips, part of Pop Art from North Africa at P21 Gallery in 2017.

Programme:
The exhibition opens on 20 May at 9pm
It continues until 14 June
Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art, 8 Champollion Street, Downtown Cairo

Open during Ramadan every day from Saturday to Thursday from 11 am to 3 pm, and from 8pm to 11pm, except Fridays

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