Over 200 people attended Egyptian artist Nader Sadek s exhibit “The Faceless which opened earlier this month at Michael Steinberg Fine Art in New York s Chelsea district. The exhibit deals with experiencing cultural extremes in both Egypt and New York, and feeling ostracized as a person living on the fringes of mainstream society.
“For a while now, I ve been interested in exploring what different cultures perceive of as extreme. ‘The Faceless grows out of years of walking the crowded streets of Downtown Cairo dressed as a full-on death metal fan (i.e. long black hair, long-sleeved Morbid Angel/Deicide t-shirts, and an overall grungy look), wrote Sadek in his press release.
“Then, in a sort of twisted reversal, I decided to walk the streets of New York s Times Square in the black garb of a fully veiled woman. The intense reactions I got in each case confirmed for me the potential of this project, the artist explained.
Death metal, on a worldwide level, has been met with considerable hostility from mainstream culture, in most part due to its violent themes, imagery and attitude of many bands. The genre is generally labeled as an underground form of music, in part because it does not appeal to mainstream tastes.
The same can be said for veiled women living in the West. Often misunderstood by mainstream members of society, they too are frequently met with hostility and are subject to racism.
The multimedia installation is an amalgamation of conceptual diagrams, drawings and music that emerged from Sadek’s desire to challenge the intolerance of society towards their more extreme elements.
“I hope that by reflecting back to the audience their paranoid fantasies, which totally oversimplify the reality of Middle Eastern and death metal culture, that my work will get them to question their own prejudices and sense of the extreme, Sadek explained.
“I do want to add that I’m not comparing veiled women with rock/heavy metal fans, Sadek told Daily News Egypt. “I’m comparing the misperception of both cultures and how this affects the way we think on a daily basis.
Columnist Zach Baron of New York’s The Village Voice wrote, “Probably my favorite Sadek piece is a drawing of a woman, clad in a black Muslim veil, standing on a mountain of sludge while making out with a kind of bestial Satan figure, called ‘Formulas Fatal to the Flesh (Don’t Ever Leave Me),’ referring to one of Sadek’s ink on paper drawings. “There’s humor here – it s hard, in fact, to imagine a scenario in the godless West where this image wouldn t be funny – but the general vibe is that Sadek s not too interested in the lighter side of his juxtapositions.
“Ditto for the soundtrack, Baron continues, “which is anything but a smooth integration of, say, the teentaal and the simsimaya with ripping solos and double bass. ‘Crushing with hatred eyes, your truth is all you see,’ goes the vocal, ‘Killing with twisted mind, all those who don’t believe,’ while traditional Middle Eastern rhythms and sounds interpolate with otherwise speedy metallic carnage. It sounds exactly as disjointed (and hilarious, if we’re going to be honest here) as it is.
Twenty-six-year-old Sadek grew up a death metal fan in Egypt. He believes that the Egyptian state’s fear of death metal and religious extremism share a common source. Both are a threat to the government’s power and legitimacy. Both rebel against the status quo.
“Death Metal marks a cultural rebellion against religious and political hypocrisy and mediocrity. Piety often constitutes a rebellion against a bureaucratic, commercialized modernity lacking divinity and thoughts of heavenly reward. It is telling that the Egyptian state has perceived both Death Metal and religious fundamentalism as threats to its power and legitimacy, Sadek remarked.
Sadek’s resume of art shows is surprisingly long for someone his age. His work has been included in the group shows Tessalations (2004) in Minneapolis and The Pick 2 (2004) at Cairo s Townhouse Gallery. The Townhouse Gallery also showcased his solo exhibits Celestial Victor (2003) and The Paradox Complex (2005).
He took part in Convergence, a group show traveling to several cities in Egypt with support from the Ford Foundation which took place in early 2007. In May 2007, Sadek also took part in Occidentalism a group show in Egypt organized by Espace Karim Francis, where he debuted the work Worry in the house of Thieves.
In Summer 2007, the young Egyptian artist also took part in the art fair Scope Hamptons, considered to be one of the biggest of its kind.
“Faceless marks the youngest solo show by an Egyptian artist in New York. So how was Sadek able to break into such a competitive art scene?
“I met a curator at an opening, we had a very interesting conversation, [and] I guess he was impressed, he took a look at my work and offered me a solo show for one year later, Sadek recalls. “He originally wanted to show work which was seen at the Townhouse in 2005 called ‘Paradox Complex’ but I suggested this new work. So basically I just so happened to be at the right time at the right place.
New York, though, might have a more inviting audience than Egypt.
While prepping for previous shows in Cairo, Sadek met dissuasion. The fellow artists taking part in “Occidentalism had mixed feelings towards his work. Established artists like Lara Baladi and Mohamed Abla were excited about his work, Sadek recalled. Other artists, specifically those who were funded by the government, were wearier.
“[They] begged me not to show it so the show wouldn t be shut down by the police. I ignored them, but was later persuaded to show some different work. I guess I felt bad that the opportunity for all the artists to show would be lost because of me, which in a way would have been exciting for me but unfair for the artists.
This wasn’t the only time that Sadek self-censored his work, he added.
Having yet to exhibit his work in Egypt uncensored he can only speculate on the local reaction to his art, “I think people would have been shocked and angry and in a way that is the reaction that I’m looking for from Egypt, Sadek told Daily News Egypt. “I’m calling out their own prejudice, I’m commenting in a way about how fast people judge other people.
After his experience in New York, and comparing Egypt’s reaction to death metal and Americans reaction to veiled women, Sadek discovered that this reaction is universal.
