{"id":201,"date":"2014-02-27T12:55:26","date_gmt":"2014-02-27T17:55:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/web.colby.edu\/censorshipeventsblog\/?p=201"},"modified":"2014-06-04T13:23:02","modified_gmt":"2014-06-04T17:23:02","slug":"histories-of-now-a-noontime-art-exhibit-by-stephanie-marano","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/censorshipeventsblog\/2014\/02\/27\/histories-of-now-a-noontime-art-exhibit-by-stephanie-marano\/","title":{"rendered":"Histories of Now, A Noontime Art Exhibit by Stephanie Marano"},"content":{"rendered":"

Presented in association with\u00a0Censorship Uncovered<\/strong>\u00a0<\/i>and displayed in the Colby College Museum,<\/i>\u00a0Histories of Now: Six Artists from Cairo\u00a0<\/em>presents a unique and distinctive critique on the current cultural and political climate in Egypt. Displayed on the third anniversary of the first Tahrir Square protests<\/strong>, the exhibit celebrates the works of some of the most innovative and inspiring contemporary Egyptian artists.\u00a0\u00a0Histories of Now\u00a0<\/em>removes Western perspective and, instead, explores the complexity of the social and political conflict within Egypt through the direct engagement and experience of these artists. Most of these pieces were completed prior to the revolution and project\u00a0a longing and need for political and cultural change. Each artist was chosen based upon\u00a0commonality\u00a0and overlap of ideology, sentiment, and\u00a0purpose.\u00a0Featuring works by Mohamed Abla, Ahmed Basiony, Hala Elkoussy, Shady El Noshokaty, Sabah Naim, and Moataz Nasr, the exhibit illuminates Egypt\u2019s continued struggle to redefine itself socially, culturally and politically.<\/p>\n

\"Out<\/a>On February 27th<\/sup>, Colby welcomed the exhibit\u2019s founding co-curator, Ahmed Abdalla, as he led an audience of nearly fifty individuals in a noontime art\u00a0tour. The event\u00a0began with the documentary\u00a0Out of Water\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>by Mohamed Abla. Filmed in 2010, the video offers a pre-revolutionary critique of the aggressive and overbearing military presence throughout the Egyptian island, Qorsaya. The film compliments the striking visual images of the blatant military takeover with outraged commentary of the inhabitants of Qorsaya as they attempt to salvage their homes and lifestyle.\u00a0 The documentary introduced a theme present throughout the exhibit: individual suppression.<\/p>\n

We then moved to the second work,\u00a0Merge and Emerge\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>by Moataz Nasr.\u00a0\u00a0Created in 2011, the film records the almost hypnotic dance of whirling dervishes captured in a three-channel video projected against a blank wall.<\/p>\n

\"Merge<\/a><\/p>\n

Within the video, the downward facing camera angle, minimalistic musical accompaniment and confined space of the recorded image evokes elements of intense paranoia and suspicion. Yet, Abdalla explained that\u00a0the work also contains elements of optimism illuminated through the video\u2019s physical position within the museum. According to Abdalla,\u00a0the architectural space \u2013 the location of the film within the museum – asserts\u00a0sentiments of hope, inviting the audience in and optimistically\u00a0suggesting potential for unity. A highly political piece,\u00a0Merge and Emerge\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>illuminates the mass repression and paranoia inspired by the highly militarized political presence within Egypt and calls for solidarity amid mounting conflict.<\/p>\n

Abdalla then led us to the third piece within the exhibition,\u00a0First Story \u2013 Mount of Forgetfulness<\/em><\/strong>\"mount<\/a>, by Hala Elkoussy.\u00a0\u00a0The film recounts the plight of a young man as he realizes waves of mass pollution are \u201ckilling\u201d stories and attempts to save them from total destruction.\u00a0Here, the death of these stories symbolizes the death of individualism and the disappearance of a culture. Through narrative and cinematic technique,\u00a0the artist attributes an absurd quality to the film. \u00a0It is through this absurdity we see the slow dismantling of the Egyptian heritage and the dissolution of a once united people.<\/p>\n

We then moved to the fourth piece,\u00a0People of the City\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>by Sabah Naim.<\/p>\n

\"People<\/a><\/p>\n

A collection of still images, the film pays homage to the citizens of Cairo. Shot before the revolution, the images prove a foreshadowing of the hostilities and frustrations soon to erupt and exude an air of anticipation for a needed change through drastic action.<\/p>\n

\"30<\/a>The tour continued, stopping at Ahmed Basiony\u2019s\u00a030 Days of Running in Place.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Created in 2011, the piece is a three-channel instillation compiled by a friend and colleague of the artist following\u00a0his death during the 2011 revolution. The first film,\u00a030 Days of Running,\u00a0<\/em>documents Basiony physically running in place for one hour a day, everyday, for thirty days.\u00a0 Sensors attached to the soles of his feet, arms, and chest gather information from this physical exertion that is then transferred to a computer.\u00a0 Using software, the computer creates a digital display, converting action into image.\u00a0 Rooted in revolutionary sentiments, the piece evokes powerful symbolism and metaphor.\u00a0 Running in place, getting nowhere, Basiony eludes to the futility of individual action, an inability to escape the confinement of larger social and political forces, and the isolation and contemplation of inner thoughts.\u00a0 Only through unity can cultural change be achieved.<\/p>\n

We see this in the second installation\u00a0Revolution Footage<\/em><\/strong>. Filmed one year later, this\u00a0documentation of the revolution in Tahrir Square lasted four days, ending with Basiony\u2019s assassination\u00a0on January 28. \u00a0Abdalla suggests that\u00a0death proved the artist\u2019s final liberation, an escape from the confinement and seclusion from which the artist was running.<\/p>\n

\"Revolution<\/a><\/p>\n

The final work observed on the tour was\u00a0Stammer \u2013 A Lecture in Theory\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>by Shady El Noshokaty.\u00a0 The piece spans nearly six years and depicts an ongoing lecture discussing the creation and production of art.\u00a0 However, the lesson never reaches completion; rather, it remains a cyclical discussion of unfulfilled objectives illuminating the limitations of verbal discussion and expression within a culture so heavily suppressed.<\/p>\n

\"Stammer2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Stammer\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Themes of cultural limitation and repression within Egypt saturate these works of art as their creators struggle to find voice in such a censored environment. Abdalla asserted Egypt is \u201cback again to a limited era\u201d in this revolutionary period. Freedom of expression through creative mediums is an internationally recognized right enforced by global legislation in the International Treaty of Civic and Political Rights<\/em> and The Universal Declaration of Human Rights<\/em>.\u00a0 As stated in\u00a0these documents, publishing, media and the arts should not be censored.\u00a0 While recognized and addressed within the Egyptian constitution, the articles pertaining to free expression include exceptions allowing authorities to intercede and enforce censorship during times of Emergency Law and war. The implementation of censorship becomes a tool through which the Egyptian government limits information and controls public opinion.\u00a0 As evidenced in\u00a0Histories of Now: Six Artists from Cairo,\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>the limitation of individual expression has not silenced art, rather it inspired\u00a0a wave of revolutionary creativity and a fervent desire to be heard.\u00a0 Artists call for the revival of Egyptian culture, celebrate their heritage, and seek unity among a divided people.<\/h6>\n

* All images found at: http:\/\/www.smfa.edu\/egypt<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Presented in association with\u00a0Censorship Uncovered\u00a0and displayed in the Colby College Museum,\u00a0Histories of Now: Six Artists from Cairo\u00a0presents a unique and distinctive critique on the current …","protected":false},"author":1706,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/censorshipeventsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/censorshipeventsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/censorshipeventsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/censorshipeventsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1706"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/censorshipeventsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/censorshipeventsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":219,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/censorshipeventsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201\/revisions\/219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/censorshipeventsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/censorshipeventsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/censorshipeventsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}