At the entrance to one of Cairo's oldest independent galleries, the introductory text reads: "What Remains? doesn't unfold as a single, personal story unique to each of the three artists.
On the contrary, the exhibition evolves across different temporal and emotional landscapes. It invites us to reflect on the fragile and shifting nature of memory — how it's preserved, interrupted, and reconstructed through generations. What survives the passage of time? Who decides what we remember, and how does memory shape our identity? And ultimately: what remains when memory fades?"
Mélanie Partamian, an Egyptian artist of Armenian descent on her father's side and Greek on her mother's, displays countless postcards arranged on the shelves of a large, antique wooden cabinet. Nearby, on a vast white wall, is a video installation titled Imported Memories, composed of numerous small-format images depicting members of her extended family.
The work radiates a deep nostalgia for a bygone era, evoked through multiple sensory details — colors, sounds, cooking aromas, and vintage interior decor from her family home.
"My relationship with the past is shaped by various family narratives. These captivating tales, whether fictional or mythical, play a significant role in constructing my imagination when it comes to the past. In fact, to share family moments, we've inherited many magical stories passed down through generations," Partamian comments.
She adds: "My installation Imported Memories acts as a guardian of memory, a bridge that promotes generational transmission — a bridge between past and present that reflects many struggles, joys, sorrows, and separations. Decrypting our heritage, celebrating this transmission, and diving deep into our history is what I aim to do through the exhibition, by delving into the lives of my ancestors."
Partamian uses the opportunity to address the Armenian genocide and her great-grandparents, who were scattered across the globe as victims of that mass violence.
"I wanted to tell the facts in my own way — my personal story passed down from father to daughter. To preserve it against loss and forgetting, without embellishing reality or masking the emotions," she points to her work that centers on themes of loss, displacement, absence, survival, and nostalgia.
Family as a Guiding Thread
Moving from one artwork to another, the viewer embarks on a journey through the land of memories — leaving no room for indifference.
Many questions surrounding identity and the self are also unpacked, particularly its three aspects: the Id, the Ego, and the Personality.
These themes concern Fatma Abodoma, who hails from Upper Egypt and belongs to one of the oldest families in the southern region. Her three installations are made of long, light, translucent beige fabrics hung side by side from a high ceiling.
"They’ve been there forever," or at least, she conveys the impression. We are all suspended in a memory preserved over time, especially by women in traditional societies.
We see a black-and-white photo printed on fabric on the beige fabric — a portrait of her grandparents on their wedding night in Upper Egypt.
Then, a photo of her and her father in front of their family home in Abodoma. The third piece, placed in the center, reflects the colors of Mother Nature — rooted in the earth, drawing energy from it, and taking the form of a goddess or a wise woman attuned to nature.
“Art is therapy, a magical path to happiness and peace, a powerful tool to reconnect with oneself and the world,” Abodoma comments, expressing how those installations reveal essential parts of her life.
“I am deeply connected to my family home in Upper Egypt — I visit it regularly. The photos I present share memories linked to my family history, as well as to my emotions and desires,” she adds.
A City Without Borders
Each of the three visual artists offers a personal experience, yet all address the concept of temporality.
While the first two look into the past, the third — Farah El-Moatassem — resonates with the present. She blurs boundaries and presents An Ode to My City and Beyond.
Her images blend urban poetry with a deep sense of belonging, laden with emotion.
Drawing from social realities, her photos form a visual narrative. They depict old buildings, facades, scenes from the good old days — and above all, Cairenes of yesterday and today.
“I focus on the relationship between what is visible and what is legible,” she explains.
The faces in her photographs are sometimes erased, sometimes sharp and clear, moving through a city unconcerned with borders.
“Deconstructing images is a way to present a fragmented view of the city — challenging photography’s ability to represent reality, even to reshape it through intentional staging. Ultimately, I’m telling the story of my social identity by portraying the space it inhabits,” says El-Moatassem.
El-Moatassem strives to convey a sense of return to origins, combining urban and rural scenes that prompt questions about memory, both collective and personal. People are photographed inside their homes, surrounded by favorite objects and embroidered textiles, or outside—at flea markets or in front of old Cairo buildings.
“The ethnography of nature and its people, and the architectural details of the city, offer an image of social reality. In my work, anthropology and the space-time relationship are crucial to understanding what has already been said, written, and built,” she concludes.
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The exhibition continues at Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art (15 Mahmoud Bassiouny St, Cairo) until 26 June.
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This article's long version was originally published in Al-Ahram Hebdo (French) on 18 June. Additional edit and translation: Ahram Online
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