The ninth edition of D-CAF (1-22 October)
This ninth edition of D-CAF (Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival) spotlights a world-class selection of new media artworks: groundbreaking pieces conceived at the intersection of art and technology. Three artistic jewels will crown this festival’s new media and visual arts programmes.
Embraces is an augmented reality exhibition created by award-winning Danish animator Sara Koppel. The exhibition comprises thirteen artful illustrations, each featuring an embracing couple. By downloading an app and holding their smartphones up to the drawings, viewers can watch a series of fantastical stop-frame animations unfold from the artworks. The short films shed light on a universal truth that transcends ages, borders, and even species: all living creatures share an essential need for love, warmth, and embrace.
NYX is a thrill-eliciting sensory dive into an immersive simulation, conceptualized by media designer and animator Marcell Andristyak and produced by the Hungarian studio Glowing Bulbs. The multi-projector interactive installation invites audiences to embark on an eerie voyage through the depths of a misty woodland populated with fantastical creatures. On this journey, they become part of a quest for light in the shadowy realms of night.
This year, D-CAF has put together The Virtual Reality Experience. This cutting-edge display includes an Oculus Quest installation curated by VR expert Omar Kamel and a world-class selection of VR films presented in collaboration with the French Institute in Egypt. The showcase will include music, dance and creative activities; games, films, and documentaries tackling a range of topics from wildlife to social justice and awareness —a stunning line-up promising to enchant visitors of all tastes and from all walks of life.
The three pieces will be shown from 5 to 10 October at Consoleya, a new coworking and exhibition space located in the heart of Downtown Cairo. From 16 to 21 October, these three beautiful artworks will move to Victoria Rooftop House, located on the roof of the historical Shorbagy building.
“Forgotten as if You Never Were” photography exhibition by Egyptian artist Hana Gamal. She is the creative mind behind this year’s innovative D-CAF poster, which pays homage to the diversity of its lineup, team, and beloved audience. It’s Gamal’s first solo exhibition and takes its title from a Mahmoud Darwish poem. In keeping with the themes of the poem, the exhibition is a multilayered journey of memory, introspection, and reconciliation. Audiences can catch Gamal’s unmissable works at Victoria Rooftop House until 22 October.
The American University in Cairo
New Cairo Campus, Abdul Latif Jameel Hall, Plaza Level, Tel 02 2615 3318
The Photographic Gallery
“Land of Unrealized Dreams” is a duo exhibition features works by emerging photographers Ali Zaraay and Ahmad Gaber. Both photographers embarked on separate journeys to study abroad when the Covid 19 pandemic hit, derailing their plans. Each photographer relocated to new cities, Zaraay in Hanover, Germany and Gaber to New York, USA. Each found solace with his camera, which they both used to document life under the Covid 19 pandemic
(15 September-14 October).
Cairo International Art District (CIAD)
Art D’Égypte will take up to 12 spaces in Downtown, Cairo, creating the grand art concept “Cairo International Art District”, a city-wide art exhibition. The spaces in Downtown embrace contemporary art solo and group exhibitions, as well as independent projects.
The spaces in Downtown; include Kodak Passage, Cinema Radio, The Factory, 6 Shops, Access Art Space, and 36 Abdel-Khaleq Tharwat Street Shop. The spaces comprise a range of paintings, photography, sculptures, installations, video art, new media arts (holograms), and sound. CIAD will also host a series of public lectures, workshops, and talks targeting artists and art enthusiasts. These will be hosted by esteemed artists and academics in the field of art at Rawabet Space.
The event will be in parallel to Art D’Égypte’s latest International Exhibition by the Pyramids of Giza, “Forever is Now”, which is the first of its kind in the 4500-year-long history of the pyramids, the oldest of the seven wonders of the ancient world. This will be Art D'Égypte fourth edition and will be held under the auspices of the Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the patronage of UNESCO. For this project, Art D’Égypte is also partnering with the Embassy of USA, the Embassy of Spain, the Embassy of Switzerland, the Italian Cultural Institute, and many more.
CIAD will include a diverse array of well-established artists from all over the world including Egyptian, American, Belgian, Brazilian, British, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Saudi Arabian, Spanish, Sudanese, and Swiss artists. The exhibition would also incorporate upcoming local Egyptian artists (15 September - 27 October).
Cairo Opera Complex
Gezira Exhibition Grounds, Zamalek
Salah Taher gallery
Tel 02 2739 0132/0144
“Spirit of the Belle Epoque”, exhibition of oil paintings and drawings by artist Farid Fadel. Part of the artworks include portraits of the Egyptian cinema stars in the old times as well as paintings depict landscapes
(2-12 October).
Gezira Arts Centre
1 Al-Sheikh Al-Marsafi St, Zamalek, Tel 02 2737 3298/96
“Fatal Sequences”, an exhibition of drawings by Hamdy Abdallah (6-25 October).
Italian/Egyptian Centre for Restoration and Antiquities (CIERA)
31 Al Suyuffeya St, Al Helmeya, Cairo, visitors are welcomed by appointments so contact the manager Mr. Salah Ramadan 0100 8716067
Architectural complex of the Mevlevi Dervish “Samaa Khana, Restorations and Restorers” permanent exhibition of the activities of the working/formation sites for the restoration and recovery of the monuments. Visitors are welcomed during the opening hours determined by the Ministry of Antiquities.
Liwan
23 Hassan Assem St, Zamalek, 02 2735 3538/ 012 00999448
“Aspiration”, a group exhibition of painting and sculpture by Dalia Negm, Ahmed Magdy, Alia Eissa, Khoshoua El-Gohary, Omar Sedik and Toka Amr. The gallery will feature an artwork by special needs guest of honor Karim Fawzy (25 September-28 October).
Mahmoud Mokhtar Culture Centre
5 Tahrir St, beside Cairo Sporting Club, Tel 02 2735 1123
Isis Hall
“Absence”, artworks by Hany El-Feqi (6-14 October).
Nahdat Misr Hall
“Absence”, paintings by Taha Ashmawy (6-14 October).
Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art
15 Mahmoud Bassiouny St, Qasr Al-Nile, Downtown, First Floor, Tel 02 25750353 / 0100 1704554
“A Man in All His States”, the gallery displays paintings by young self-taught artist Essam Alaa, for the very first time
(19 September - 14 October).
Museum of Modern Egyptian Art
Cairo Opera House Grounds, Gezira, Zamalek, Tel 02 2736 6667/65
Al-Bab Selim Hall
“Scarecrow”, paintings by Ahmed Nabil (5-16 October).
Tahrir Cultural Centre (TCC)
AUC's Tahrir Campus, entrance through Mohamed Mahmoud St, Opposite Pizza Hut
“Algorithmic Perfumery”, the unique and popular art/data installation experience by Frederik Duerinck, which allows users to make their own personal scents, is back for another round in collaboration with Cairotronica. At Algorithmic Perfumery, participants walk away with tangible and usable memorabilia of the work. A unique scent is made and compounded on-site, based on the participant’s questionnaire to be finished. The test consists of psychological, sociological, cultural questions and a few focused-on scent preference. By experiencing the artwork physically, participants contribute to the ongoing research to improve Artificial Intelligence and reinvent the future of perfumery.
Tickets are available on tickets marche, every day from 10am to 10pm including weekends from 10am to 2pm (17 September-18 October).
TAM
Km 28, Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road, Abu Rawash, Giza-Egypt, 0100 0773860, Regular visiting hours: Weekdays (Sun-Thurs):10am – 7pm, Saturdays: 12pm - 7pm
“Daydreaming”, an exhibition dedicated to digital prints and photography (5 - 23 October).
TAM
Mall of Arabia, open every day, gate 17, first floor opposing Ikea floor,
Working hours: Weekdays: 10AM to 11PM, Weekends: 10AM to 12AM
“Boundless” exhibition features over 60 of Egypt’s best-loved artists showcasing some of their most exquisite works.
Zamalek Art gallery
11 Brazil St, Zamalek, Tel 02 2735 1240
Venues I, II, III
“Life Companions”, exhibition of paintings by Mustafa Abdel-Moaty, recipient of the Nile Award for Arts and his soul-mate and partner in life artist Rabab Nemr (19 September - 11 October).
ALEXANDRIA
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Chatby, Alexandria 21526, Tel (03) 4839999
Archeological Museum
A permanent exhibition on the results of the Archaeological Mission of the University of Turin in Nelson Island.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 7 October, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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