ROZNAMA STUDIO PROGRAM IN COLLABORATION WITH D-CAF

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Roznama Studio Program 
In Collaboration with D-CAF 

In November 2017, Medrar, in collaboration with jury members, issued a statement explaining the reasons behind the cancellation of the sixth edition of the Roznama competition. D-CAF responded to the statement by inviting Medrar to structure its visual arts program in 2018. The conversations between Medrar and D-CAF built on a shared interest to support Egyptian artists and facilitate the existence of more spaces for sustainable artistic production within our shared local contexts.

Ahmed Badry, Mohamed Abdelkarim, and Nour El Safoury have been invited by Medrar to design and run the program over a period of six months. Fellows in the program will engage together in a space that aspires to contextualize artistic practice within a critical, theoretical framework that supports the making of new projects. The program is structured around a series of individual and group exchanges, working groups, and visits from and to artists and academics. It supports production and defrays some of the costs entailed in participating through offering a symbolic scholarship and studio working spaces.

 About the program 

The program relies on several intersecting lines of inquiry. Together, they explore the situatedness of the artist within her or his surrounding environments and contexts, including matters such as language and material, history and power, and notions around labour and art. We will re-question aesthetic concepts such as beauty, originality, authenticity, and uniqueness by appropriating them within a speculative and investigative artistic process.

Over the period of six months, participants will engage in a number of activities that intersect with and feed into the artistic process. These include writing, watching, listening, tasting, moving, experimenting with materials, and site visits. The program includes both internal collaborators who will work together throughout the period of the program as well as a group of external advisors whom every participant will consult throughout the six months. Two group criticism sessions, to whom different visitors will be invited, will form the structuring backbone of this program and give it direction.

FEMALE – FemLink-Art, The International Video-Artists Collective

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a video-collage: 30 videos – 30 artists – 30 countries, 62 min.

The structure is simple: one artist / one country creates a short video for FemLink (2 min. maximum) around a common topic.

The videos are included in video-collages. The collage is considered itself as an artistic video work made up with singular videos. Each video takes part definitely to the collage.

Femlink was created to in opposition to speech exclusion, boundaries between the works and the world so that other views, other ways to comprehend the world might be allowed.

Kikai de Mirukoto / the Pioneers of Japanese Videoart 

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Art documentary on the early days of video art in Japan
Thurs, August 17, 7:30 pm

VCT/ VIDEOART CENTER Tokyo presents a documentary video “KIKAI DE MIRUKOTO- the Pioneers of Japanese Video Arts”, with oral history and video pieces of early video artists in Japan.

VIDEO became to be a medium that inspired us to discover the world…

In the late 1960s, between Tokyo Olympic in 1964 and Osaka Expo in 1970, portable video equipment became available on the market, giving people an opportunity to shoot moving images and replay them immediately.

The documentary includes interviews with artists Katsuhiro YAMAGUCHI, Toshio MATSUMOTO, Fujiko NAKAYA, Takahiko IIMURA, Hakudo KOBAYASHI, Keigo YAMAMOTO, Ko NAKAJIMA, Nobuhiro KAWANAKA, Mako IDEMITSU, Sakumi HAGIWARA, Kohei ANDO, Canadian artist Michael GOLDBERG, MoMA curator Barbara LONDON and Nam June PAIK’s life partner, Shigeko KUBOTA, and his engineer, Shuya ABE. Including a range of excerpts of selected video art pieces, this documentary reflects on the meaning of “VIDEO” which originally had meant “I see” in Latin. We present the roots of media art from the islands that gave birth to Sony and Panasonic!

HDV, 80min, 2012, Region free/ALL

Director: Kentaro TAKI, camera:Naoya OOE

Supported by The Japan World Exposition 1970 Commemorative Fund

For more information: http://kikai-de-mirukoto.vctokyo.org/

Second Comics Week in Egypt – Exhibition by Swiss artist Barbara Mauli

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Second Comics Week in Egypt
Exhibition by Swiss artist Barbara Mauli

Opening 3 February 2015 7 p.m.
The exhibition lasts from 3 to 7 November 2015.

Exhibit daily from 3pm to 9pm except Friday

Medrar will host at 7pm next Monday 2 November 2015 the opening of the second edition of “Comics Week in Egypt” which this year sees entries from Switzerland, England, Germany, and the United States as well as extensive entries by Egyptian artists.

The organization of “Sefsafa” for the second cycle of COMICS Week is part of the Foundation’s attempt to publicize this area and promote the exchange of experiences between Egyptians and Europeans on the one hand, and Egyptian artists and some others on the other, as well as the most important challenges facing COMICS art in Egypt and the prospects it presents for young people.

This week was chosen as the “art of comics and freedom of expression”, where one cannot live without the other.

This year’s cycle includes two training workshops for amateurs and professionals, two round tables on the art of “comics and freedom of expression”, one on “Independent publishing in comics”, an exhibition by artist Barbara Moyle (Switzerland) and another exhibition compiled by a number of Egyptian artists.

Egyptian artist Khaled al-Safati will be honored on the closing day for his pioneering role in promoting the field of comics in Egypt.

“Five Electronic Plays” Project Release

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by Abdullah El Miniawy

Medrar for Contemporary Art is thrilled to host the launch of Abdullah Miniawy’s new project “Five Electronic Plays”. The performance includes five theatrical texts, some of which are improvised, recited in singing or as dialogues. 

Abdullah Miniawy is a poet, sufi singer, composer and scriptwriter from Fayoum. He also plays the trumpet. He performed in numerous international festivals, among them Music wel Salam in Tunisia, Free Voices Festival in France, and Ertegal in Lebanon. He also took part in many events and workshops in Egypt and with renowned artists as Kamilia Jubran.

Wednesday 17 June 2015, 8pm

Ticket: 25 L.E.

Medrar for Contemporary Art

7 Gamal El Din Abu El Mahasen St., 1st floor, apt. 4, Garden City.

Animation Film Program from Hungary – MOME ANIM

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Medrar hosts a special screening program of multi-award winning Hungarian animation films, produced by MOME, the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest, and curated by the Hungarian Cultural Institute in Cairo.

Tuesday 12 May, 7pm
Free entrance
Address: 7 Gamal El Din Abou El Mahasen St., 1st floor, apt. 4, Garden City
Refreshments are served.

Screening Program:
Satellite Dish/ Parabola, 2013
Péter Vácz / 01’00”
I Am Simon / Simon vagyok, 2009
Tünde Molnár / 12’00”
Paper World/ Papírvilág, 2013
László Ruska & Dávid Ringeisen / 02’39”
Hearth/ Otthon, 2012
Bálint Gelley & co-director Maja Szakadát / 5’40”
I am sorry / Sajnálom, 2011
Árpád Hermán / 03’51”
Symphony no. 42, 2014
Réka Bucsi / 10’00”
How the World Began / Hogyan keletkezett a világ?, 2013
Iván Tamás / 06’00″
The muscular princesses / Az izmos királylányok, 2009
Júlia Farkas / 05’00”
Lady with Long Hair/ Hölgy hosszú hajjal, 2012
Barbara Bakos / 10’00”
Orsolya, 2010
Bella Szederkenyi / 07’47”
Rabbit and Deer/ Nyuszi és Őz, 2014
Péter Vácz / 16’45”

Launch of “a parallel application” publication

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On the occasion of launching the publication “Parallel Applications”, artists who contributed articles to Madrar for contemporary art meet on Sunday, March 29, 2015, from 6 to 9 p.m. We invite you to meet with artists to ask your questions and to get a free copy of the print.

The publication is the production of the project “Parallel Applications” by the artist Mohammed Abdul Karim. Which included a series of meetings and talks aimed at creating a theoretical climate for art practitioners, where they addressed the fundamentals of Arab philosophies and applied them by reading the artwork.

Artists Amr Elkafrawy, Alaa Abd Al-Hamid, Wissam Qurish, Ahmed Shawky of Egypt and Elias of Hungary of Tunisia participated in the project.

The publication is available for sale at Medrar.
Publication price: 10 EGP

PROFIT | PROPHET

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The first offense: Kopernikus. The second offense: Darwin. The third offense: Freud himself. The fourth offense: ††. Habitually modest, team titanic invites to a two-part cooperation project with Medrar for Contemporary Art: PROFIT | PROPHET. The message is the message. A bi-urban, transcontinental exhibition- and performance-series.

Geminoid, quantified-self, object of consumerism, analysis and data. No new info: the body is more than the sum of its organs. However its surroundings are getting lighter: polypropylene, polyurethane, spandex, silicon, and 3(H)D scans are the materials of the sport and technology industries. Profit, much like biology, is based on selection and competition, investment and return. Profit is a little alchemist, that transfers immaterial goods (trust, speculation, time) to presentable formats (even more spandex, money, sculptures). CGI or synthetic organism: what difference does it make?

Prophecies are in itself not bound to the verifiable. Their messenger himself dispatches from the the non-verifiable omnipotence. Nonetheless, by utterance and medium, something concrete lies within this ‘immaterial forecast’. Prophecies exist in all religions and cultures, and fall within a long tradition in human society – not least in the economy. Mankind clings onto the prospects of tomorrow. Something vital (and mortal) yields from something as immaterial and inanimate as code.

The participating artists are asking questions of anonymity versus collectivism, (self-)marketing and future strategy, the visual and the virtual. It is a community, bound by and through local circumstances, asking similar questions. Ultimately, a condition, rather than the work, is at the fore: fleeting, dedicated to the process, and open. Before the spectator is after the spectator. This – an actual extension of the freudian triad – is the fourth offense. Less than ever, the works require on the observer or the artist as an individual with identity. This isn’t regrettable.

The title is to be understood as the basis of working together: by bringing together two cities, as the works of artists from Cairo and Berlin convene, exchange reaches a physical here and now. Prophet. The program, as a result of the encounter, can be seen as the prognosis of an already set future. Profit.

Come in and buy out.
Sincerely
Goldilocks, Cheeta & Schlomo
aka
††

SATURDAY, 20.09.2014 | 6 PM
Exhibition Opening with:
Ahmed Shoukry (Kairo),
Peter Feiler (Berlin),
Khaled Galaledeen (Kairo),
Anne-Sophie Kneer (Berlin),
Kareem Lotfy (Kairo),
Hanne Lippard (Berlin),
Pussykrew (Berlin),
Sarah Samy (Kairo),
Islam Shabana (Kairo),
Santiago Taccetti (Berlin),
Britta Thie (Berlin),
Helga Wretman (Berlin)

Performances by:
Quit Together (Kairo),
COCKPIT (Berlin),
Soda Plains (Berlin)

SUNDAY, 20.09.2014 | 6 PM 
Panel talk with:
Quit Together,
Medrar & team titanic

ANALOG SOUND: AN ELECTRONIC MUSIC NIGHT WITH RAMI ABADIR & MOSTAFA EL SAYED

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Rami Abadir is collaborating with Mostafa El Sayed in a live improvisation
The mixture of analog synthesizers (no laptops), drum machines, sampling repetitive patterns creates different musical dynamics
with more focus on textures and timbres leading to a unique heavy and abrasive sound

Visual show by Islam Shabana

Grounded in the world of synth, there’s a lot to respect” about the music of Rami Abadir and Mostafa El-Sayed in terms of approach and what they’re trying to do. More importantly though, the work sounds good. There’s few things more satisfying than the double whammy of great sounding music coming from artists who stand firm on not compromising their approach. With nary a laptop in sight, the duo churn out a dense electronic cornucopia of power bass grooves and evolving beats coupled with synth chords and dissonant flourishes” by Dandin

“There was a strong and seemless dialogue between Abadir and Mostafa’s respective musics, adding a fluid and fresh element to the performance.” by Ahram Online

Watch Rami Abadir & Mostafa El-Sayed here

Hysteria

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Medrar contributed with a musical performance of “Hysteria” for Dijit on Monday, 7/14 at 10 pm, which adds this distinguished experience as a parallel to the audio experience of “Visual Rats Lab” by Alaa Abdel Hamid.

This marked the first collaboration between Alaa and Dijit

/// hysteria ///

Images are reflected on the surfaces of mirrors and repeated infinitely if they are placed between two mirrors. They prefer to be the laws of reflection in physics, which are the same laws that regulate the movement of sound reflection and repetition and the emergence of the phenomenon of echo.

When a person’s eye and ear partially detect monotonous images and sounds with a constant rhythm, his nerves are qualified to know that there is such a thing in life as hysteria.

About the “Visual Rats Lab” exhibition, an exhibition of installation works and installations by Alaa Abdel Hamid

After cold wars were used electronically in the past until now, they have become a reference applied to thousands through audio-visual media sponsored by electronics to work to keep the public in mind and even try to include it in its ranks through repetition of words and visual messages that are stored immediately. The mind of the public. Its impact on this experience may differ from one person to another according to his inclinations and certain degree. He will either be led away, reject, or have his mind flounder between different interpretations because of the hypothesis presented to him, which differs according to the mood of its sources, or differs according to his fatigue and self-discussion.

In this experiment, Alaa Abdel Hamid worked to involve the recipients in the artistic work and created a mutual viewing experience after that, as this resulted in the works acquiring a lively quality that made them differ from one lens to another unless they mastered it, as a result of the discovery of visual experiences that depend on the laws of light reflection. On the mirrors and its bounce back to the eye.

The exhibition runs until Wednesday, July 16, 2014 from 12 to 5 p.m.

Set of Experiences: Live music & Video Art by Object Obscure & Alexandrian filmmakers

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Object Obscure, or Samir Nabil, a musician from Alexandria will play his guitar loops bringing his unique sound and musical project to Cairo. During the live performance video projects inspired by his ‘Experience’ set by several filmmakers from Alexandria will be screened.

The event will take place on Thursday 27 June 2013

Filmmakers include: Emad Maher, Abdallah Sharkas, Islam Kamal, Icon and Mamoon Azmy

Listen to Object Obscure’s music here: https://soundcloud.com/object-obscure

Screening: The Secret Capital

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Medrar hosted a screening and director’s talk of ‘The Secret Capital’ a documentary film by Mokhtar Saad Shehata on 4 February.

Synopsis: Was there a revolution? Two years after the beginning of theJanuary 25 Revolution, many Egyptians ask themselves this question. The answer is not to be found on Tahrir Square, but in the villages of countryside, the secret capital of Egypt. Convinced that there only has been a revolution if it reaches the countryside there really has been a revolution, the novelist and filmmaker Mukhtar Shehata follows the struggles, hopes and frustrations among people from his home village who between February 2011 and December 2012 tried to bring the revolution to their village in northern Egypt.

Camera and sound: Samuli Schielke / Mukhtar Saad Shehata / MahrousAbdelraouf

Editing: Maged Makram

Directed and Produced by Mukhtar Saad Shehata