The Pick 4, a bi-annual exhibition for young artists, opened this week at Townhouse Gallery. It’s the latest edition of “The Pick exhibitions, shown in Townhouse and curated by an outside organization.
Dalia Soleiman, the gallery’s public relations manager, says that “The Pick has always sought to discover emerging artists. The exibition’s curators, of Medrar for Contemporary Art, seem to have found just that.
Upon entering Townhouse’s factory gallery, the viewer is immediately taken by the diversity in the works exhibited. To the right sits an old telephone on a podium. Across the 650-square-meter former paper factory, one’s eye is drawn to a colorful digital collage. Televisions on podiums border the gallery, flashing images. The show featured varied media, ranging from videos to fashion, from sound installation to street art.
Curator and program associate for Medrar, Diaae’din Helmy, said that all of the participating artists had “an active attitude to do art. He, among other curators from Medrar, worked closely with artists. The organization knew the work of the artists involved, meeting and speaking with them frequently in the two months prior to the exhibition.
Many artists are showing work for the first time and only a few have exhibited their art previously. Artists featured range in age from 19 to 22 years, a much younger age group than previous exhibitions.
Traditionally, “The Pick showcases artwork from already established artists. This exhibition features work by emerging young artists, all students or recent graduates from Egyptian universities.
Helmy believes that the artists involved are seeking ways to express as well as break rules of expression. Some works may be comments on their lives as young Egyptians and others, according to Helmy, are “playing with what they can do and what they cannot.
Amy Arif, program coordinator for Medrar, says that the exhibition serves as “a platform for dialogue, bringing together young artists from different backgrounds. Arif says that exhibitions like “The Pick are important in making spaces available to showcase young artists. As Townhouse is a well-known gallery in both Egypt and throughout the region, it is an ideal location for an exhibition of this type.
According to Helmy and Soleiman, the fourth installment of “The Pick is different from past exhibitions. This time, the show is larger and features more mediums. And of course, the works reflect a younger generation with a unique view on society.
Among the stand-out works shown at the exhibit is Shereen Lotfy’s video, “A Letter to A Lover. In it, a young boy is seen armed with a can of black spray-paint, marking posters, cars, and walls in a nameless Egyptian city. In the background, a woman’s voice narrates: “and immediately I started to load the guns and rifles with gunpowder…
The narrator continues on, describing a fight against savages as the boy continues to black-out faces on posters and spray aimless designs on parked cars. Narration in the video throws the boy into a different light – he is fighting a heroic battle and no longer maliciously vandalizing what is not his own.
A digital painting by Dalia Abdel Aziz depicts the Cairo cityscape, a sprawl of beige, half-finished buildings. Her painting, however, is spotted with color – covering the monochromatic apartments with vibrant orange, green, and blue. Her additions are disarming, strangely altering the familiar scene.
Wensh’s untitled street art marks the walls outside of Townhouse’s factory and first floor gallery spaces. Black and white prints have been posted onto dirty walls, turning unmentionable public space into a work of art. Wensh’s work marks the first time street art has been showcased at the gallery.
The works are all different, representing the diversity of Egypt’s young, emerging artists.
Showing daily from 10 am-2 pm, 6 pm-9 pm at the Townhouse Gallery, 10 El-Nabarawy St., Downtown, Cairo. Tel: (02) 2576 8086.
