Surrealism in Egypt: Here and Now
Three distinct recent approaches to revisiting Egyptian Surrealism.
About the Event
The event sought to raise and explore the following questions: Why do we keep returning to the legacy of Egyptian Surrealism? What does this mean within the framework of the “local and global” dialectic, here and now, in a time marked by the return of pandemics and genocide? And how can we reclaim and reimagine the legacy and archives of Egyptian Surrealism in ways that speak to our future, moving beyond narratives shaped and perpetuated solely in the service of the art market and academic institutions?
Discussion themes:
In this gathering, we hosted, presented, and discussed three different recent approaches to revisiting Egyptian Surrealism. These included the writings of author and critic Zeina Halabi, engaging in dialogue with the legacy of Georges Henein; writer and journalist Mohamed Shoair’s research into lesser-known aspects of the work of prominent and forgotten figures in the history of Egyptian Surrealism; and poet and translator Abdelrahim Youssef’s translation of the seminal book Surrealism in Egypt: Modernism and the Art et Liberté Group by art historian and curator Sam Bardaouil, published this year by Al-Ain Publishing House.
