'Nostalgic Dreams': George Bahgory at Al-Masar Gallery
George Bahgory, one of Egypt’s most prominent painters, exhibits this winter at Al-Masar Gallery. In his new collection, 'Nostalgic Dreams,' Bahgory pays homage to a country in which he still believes, through celebrating its simple charms in a colourful, nostalgic exploration. He also glorifies its people, the ordinary individuals, from bread sellers to puppet makers, who he views as Egypt's "real heroes."
Exhibition runs until 23 February
26 July Street, side entrance on Isaac Jacob Street (ground floor), Zamalek, Cairo
Artwork by George Bahgoury. (Photo: courtesy of Al Masar Gallery)
'The Self and The Other': Sobhy Guirguis retrospective at ArtTalks
A retrospective exhibition titled 'The Self and The Other' will feature over 60 of Sobhy Guirguis's paintings and sculptures. Spanning his 60-year art career, the exhibition marks the first anniversary of the artist's death. At the forefront of the avant-garde movement of Egyptian sculptors, Guirguis's skilled and distinctive style allowed him to experiment with scale to defy the conventions of figurative sculpture, setting him apart as a bold, rebellious innovator.
Exhibition runs until 25 February
8 Al-Kamel Mohamed Street, Zamalek
Artwork by Sobhy Guirguis (Photo: courtesy of ArtTalks)
Agenda 2014: Collective exhibition at Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Agenda, a collective exhibition showcasing painting and sculpture of young and emerging artists, opened last week and will run until 1 March at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Conference Centre's Exhibition Hall. In its seventh year, Agenda creates a platform for eminent names as well as emerging visual artists. Among a multitude of artists, highlights include: Wafaa Yehia's oils depicting ordinary people waiting for the metro; Eman Hussein, who presents captivating surrealism-inspired work; Ibrahim El-Tanbouli, with oils portraying a guitar player; Zakaria Soliman, a reflection on war through symbols of doves and peace symbols; Mohamed Gomaa who toys with calligraphy with letters cut-out from paper; Aziza Fahmy's mosaics; Mohamed Abou El-Wafa, a cubism-influenced canvas depicting a couple with their faces joined.
Exhibition runs until 1 March
Bibliotheca Alexandrina Conference Centre, Alexandria
Agenda 2014, exhibition at Bibliotheca Alexandrina Conference Centre (Photo: Ati Metwaly)
Meeting Points 7 exhibition at CIC
The Contemporary Image Collective (CIC) is hosting a collective show featuring works by a group of Egyptian and international artists. Inspired by unfolding social and political transformations in the Arab world and the changing shape of capitalism in the world, the exhibitions participate in a global dialogue over politics, economics and culture. Besides Cairo, Meeting Points 7 will be held in Zagreb, Antwerp, Hong Kong, Beirut, Vienna and Moscow. The exhibition features works by Iman Issa, Sanja Iveković, Maryam Jafri, Rajkamal Kahlon, Kayfa ta and Haytham El-Wardany, Jumana Manna, Cecilia Vicuña, Basma Al-Sharif, and Rosalind Nashashibi.
Exhibition runs until 8 March.
22 Abdel Khaled Tharwat Street, 4th Floor, Downtown, Cairo
Rosalind Nashashibi, Still from Carlo’s Vision(2011). (Photo: Courtesy of the artist and LUX, London)
Sabah Naim at Safarkhan Art Gallery
Egyptian artist Sabah Naim will exhibit her work in a solo exhibition opening this month at the Safarkhan Art Gallery. The artist has participated in international collective exhibitions from Paris's Centre Georges Pompidou to Tokyo's Mori Art Musuem, among many others.
Exhibition opens 18 February and runs until 8 March.
6 Brazil Street, Zamalek, Cairo
Artwork by Sabah Naim. (Photo: courtesy of Safarkhan Gallery)
The House of Rare Historic Photographs: Barry Iverson at Townhouse
Cairo-based US photographer Barry Iverson presents a series of sepia and hand-colored photographs that honour Egyptian and Arab history at the Townhouse's First Floor Gallery. Iverson moved to Cairo three decades ago, and has shot photographs for various international publications, including Life, People, National Geographic, and others. "Playing with early photographic vernacular stemming from studio portraiture, glamorous cinematic gestures, Orientalist postcards and architectural records, this body of work is a highly personal documentation of a history both recent and deep, remembered and imagined; a projection of subjective memories on actual places," reads the curatorial statement.
Exhibition opens 16 February and runs until 12 March.
10 Nabrawy Street, off Champollion Street, Downtown, Cairo
(Photo: courtesy of Townhouse Gallery)
International photo festival at Gezira Art Centre
Twenty-eight professional photographers from 20 different countries will participate in the International Gezira Contemporary Photography Festival's second edition hosted by the Gezira Art Centre in Zamalek. Curated by Egyptian photographer Ayman Lotfy, the festival will exhibit an exceptional selection of works by a multitude of acclaimed photographers with a number of international awards to their names. Hosted every second year in Cairo, the festival will later be received by the Egyptian Art Academy in Rome, Italy, as it traditionally travels to one of the participating countries.
Festival runs through 12 March.
Gezira Art Centre, Al-Sheikh Al-Marsafy Street, Zamalek, Cairo
(Photo: courtesy of International photo festival)
‘Cinderella’s Tales’: Shayma Kamel at Mashrabia Gallery
Keeping a close eye on the dynamics of social life in Cairo, Shayma Kamel, who has no formal art education, usually captures the essence of the Egyptian persona mostly through large paintings that simultaneously haunt and enchant. In this exhibition, the artist deals with figures such as fictional princesses like Cinderella that are idolised by young girls. Kamel also uses the representation of manikins we see in storefront windows to express an alternate reality. Through painting work, Kamel attempts to capture the blurred lines between fantasy and reality within society.
Exhibition opens 16 February and runs until 20 March.
8 Champollion Street, Downtown, Cairo
Artwork by Shayma Kamel. (Photo: courtesy of Mashrabia Gallery)
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