Exhibitions galore in Cairo, 16-31 March

The House of Rare Historic Photographs: Barry Iverson at Townhouse Cairo-based US photographer Barry Iverson presents a series of sepia and hand-coloured photographs that honour Egyptian and Arab history at the Townhouse's First Floor Gallery. Iverson moved to Cairo three decades ago, and has shot photographs for various international publications, including Life, People, National Geographic, and others. "Playing with early photographic vernacular stemming from studio portraiture, glamorous cinematic gestures, Orientalist postcards and architectural records, this body of work is a highly personal documentation of a history both recent and deep, remembered and imagined; a projection of subjective memories on actual places," reads the curatorial statement. Exhibition runs until 19 March 10 Nabrawy Street, off Champollion Street, Downtown, Cairo Cinderella’s Tales: Shayma Kamel at Mashrabia Gallery Keeping a close eye on the dynamics of social life in Cairo, Shayma Kamel usually captures the essence of the Egyptian persona mostly through large paintings that simultaneously haunt and enchant. In this exhibition, the artist deals with figures -- such as fictional princesses likes Cinderella -- who are idolised by young girls. Kamel also uses the representation of manikins we see in storefront windows to express an alternate reality. Through her paintings, Kamel attempts to capture the blurred lines between fantasy and reality within society. Exhibition runs until 20 March 8 Champollion Street, Downtown, Cairo Waves of Distortion: Heba Hassabo at El-Sawy Culturewheel Waves of Distortion will mark the first solo show of emerging Egyptian artist Heba Hassabo. Unveiling a collection of around 15 abstract pieces painted in oils and acrylics over the past two years, Hassabo strives to create ripples in Cairo's contemporary art scene with her inaugural show. Exhibition runs until 20 March 26 July Street, under 15 May Bridge, Zamalek, Cairo Lingering in Vicinity: Maha Maamoun at Gypsum Gallery Gypsum Gallery, which recently opened in Zamalek, is hosting a solo exhibition of works by Cairo-based visual artist Maha Maamoun. The show presents two projects that the artists produced a decade apart: a series of large-scale photographs dubbed Cairospaces (2003), and a single-channel video named Shooting Stars Remind Me of Eavesdroppers (2013). "Seen together, the two works propose aesthetic, formal and conceptual threads that run through Maamoun’s practice," reads the curatorial statement. Exhibition runs until 25 March 5a Bahgat Ali Street, Zamalek, Cairo D-CAF: Hassan Khan Exhibition at Kodak Passageway This year, D-CAF decided to showcase contemporary Egyptian artist Hassan Khan. The show will be the first major survey of Khan's work in Cairo. The exhibit will feature works produced by the internationally acclaimed artist between the mid-90s and present day. The works include text-based projects, sculptural forms, music projects, among others. The exhibition will be located in unused storefronts alongside the Kodak passageway in Downtown Cairo. The site has been designed and curated by CLUSTER in such a way that creates a series of exhibition spaces that blur the lines between the artist's diverse oeuvre and the surrounding local community. Exhibition runs until 26 April 20 Adly St., Downtown Cairo Beyond Borders: Hady Boraey at ArtTalks ArtTalks hosts a solo exhibition for emerging Egyptian artist Hady Boraey this March. The artist, who lives and works in Alexandria, was born in Beheira in 1984, and received his BFA in 2005 and his MFA in 2011 from the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Alexandria. "In “Beyond Borders,” Boraey takes us on an imaginary journey of what could lie beyond the borders of the earth, of one's home and of one's mind," reads the curatorial statement. Exhibition runs until 28 March 8 Al-Kamel Mohamed Street, Zamalek, Cairo Crossroads: Alfons Louis and Sarkis Tossoonian at Safarkhan Two Egyptian sculptors from the seaside city of Alexandria, Alfons Louis and Sarkis Tossoonian, will exhibit their works at Safarkhan this month. The works of both artists carry the influences of Egypt's multifaceted heritage: from ancient Egyptian culture to the Greco-Roman civilization to Coptic and Islamic history. The exhibition will feature bronze sculptures by Sarkis Tossoonian and works in wood, metals and engraved stone by Alfons Louis. The exhibition runs until 16 April 11 Brazil Street, Zamalek, Cairo Layer of Green: Photography exhibition at CIC Cairo's Contemporary Image Collective hosts a photography exhibition, Layer of Green, showcasing the work of young photographers from Cairo and Alexandria that focuses on the environment. The participating photographers are Ahmed Hamed, Ahmed Safyeldin, Amr El-Maghraby, Ebrahim El-Moly, Manar Morsi, Maryam Ahmed, Mai El-Shazly, Mireille El-Magrissy, Nadia Mounier, Sara Sallam and Wafaa Samir. The exhibition is the result of a workshop organised by the Goethe Institute and the CIC Photo School last November that focused on the social, cultural, political and economic context of “the layer of green” or the environment. Exhibition runs until 16 April 22 Abdel Khalek Tharwat St., 4th Floor, Downtown Cairo Maspero II: Collective exhibition at Darb 1718 Maspero II: The Sequel is a follow-up to a 2011 exhibition curated by Ali Abdel-Mohsen, featuring the works of artists who dealt with the topic of censorship, media freedom and the iconic television building using painting, writing, video, photography, graffiti and even architecture. This time around, some of the artists from the original exhibition, along with new names, are revisiting these concepts nearly three years later to examine what has changed – or, rather, has not – since the outbreak of the Egyptian revolution. Maspero II: The Sequel will feature works by Ahmed El-Shaer, Aisha El-Shabrawy, Ali Abdel-Mohsen, Amr El-Kafrawy, Azza Eissa, Moataz Nasr, Moawya Helal, May El-Hossamy, Yassmin El-Meligy and Youssef Limoud. Exhibition opens 1 March and runs until 1 April Qasr Al-Shamee Street, Al-Fakhareen, Old Cairo Sheer Strength: Collective exhibition at GIZ This exhibition, held at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) office, in collaboration with the Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art, brings together four contemporary female artists. Entitled Sheer Strength, the show will feature works by Hala Abu Shady, Dina El-Gharib, Souad Abdel-Rasoul and Fadwa Ramadan. The diverse showcase collection includes paintings, drawings, collages, and digital photography. "From the more rigorous abstraction to a surprising overlapping of images, their trajectories of research result into works of strong visual impact," reads the curatorial statement. The exhibition runs until 30 April 4d Al-Gezira Street, Zamalek, Cairo Source: Ahram Online