A solo exhibition of works by Samy Elias will open at Gypsum gallery on 19 February.
Elias bases his work on found images of iconic photographs and paintings, compositions that we immediately recognise as familiar forms. However, the artist blurs an image and manipulates it to an abstraction of its origins.
"In a way, he attempts to do away with sources, and compels the viewer to interact liberally with historical references of classical portraiture and landscape, creating a complex moment of recognition and speculation. These are images that surround us in mass reproductions, museum retrospectives and stock images on the internet; they form our ideas of beauty and what we deem sublime," Gypsum gallery says about the upcoming show.
"The laborious process starts with each piece as a direct print or an image transfer to a carefully selected and treated wooden panel," until the artwork becomes an integral part of the painting.
Samy Elias is an artist, collector, and entrepreneur. He has organised talks about design in various spaces around Cairo, including the Goethe Institute and British Council, and has lectured at The American University in Cairo. Samy has taken part in the Cyfuniad 2001 in Barmouth, Wales, a residency organised by Liverpool Hope University, and exhibited his work at the Public Art Exhibition, Townhouse Gallery, Akhenaton Gallery and the Goethe Institute.
Programme:
Exhibition opening: Friday 19 February, 1-5 pm
The exhibition continues until 28 March
Exhibition hours: Saturday to Wednesday from 12-8 pm
3 Rd. 218, Apt 2, Maadi Degla, Cairo
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