Taking Stock - Drawing session, Cairo 2020 26 Aug 2021
18:30 - 22:00
Drawing Sessions: Taking Stock
In early 2020, a series of drawing sessions took place in the former factory space of the Townhouse Gallery in Cairo. The community around the Townhouse came together to draw and archive the remaining objects from the gallery, which was threatened with closing down, to reflect on the complex situation the Townhouse had ended up in.
26 Aug 2021, on the occasion of the finissage of the exhibition Taking Stock at Framer Framed, we would like to invite you to take part in a drawing session similar to the one that took place in Cairo, Egypt.
Participants are invited to come to Framer Framed for an hour still-life drawing sessions, during which groups of ten individuals will communally draw and discuss topics relevant to the content of the exhibition. Each group will tackle a different subject matter selected from the themes in the Taking Stock-website and engage in an organic discussion. At the end of the sessions, the drawings will be submitted and the recordings of the conversations will be transcribed anonymously, so that they can be incorporated into a publication that will be released later this year. A publication on institutional critique and collective mourning.
The exhibition Taking Stock initiated by Mariam Elnozahy, Wouter Osterholt and Elke Uitentuis shows the results of an artistic research project that took place in Cairo, Egypt, from January to March 2020. The project is a response to the closure of the Townhouse Gallery of Contemporary Art. The closing is an incentive to investigate a series of events in the centre of Cairo and the cultural scene in Egypt.
To take part in the final event of the Taking Stock exhibition, please register via Eventbrite (see below).
There are two-time slots available:
Timeslot 1: 18:30 – 20:30. Register here.
Timeslot 2: 20:00 – 22:00. Register here.
The sessions are free of charge. Please make sure to arrive on time. The sessions will be recorded in audio, but participants will remain anonymous.
Background
Townhouse Gallery was a non-profit art space located in the heart of Downtown Cairo. It occupied an iconic position in contemporary art in the Middle East; a key player in what has become a culturally rich, regional art scene. Founded in 1998, Townhouse Gallery has hosted a long series of activities at various locations: from regional symposia and community activities, to exhibitions and international residencies for artists, curators, writers and filmmakers. The gallery has opened a number of important art spaces in Cairo that have had a significant impact on the Egyptian cultural landscape. On an individual level, the gallery has played a crucial role in the careers of internationally renowned artists and has hosted a number of influential artists and curators from abroad. You can read more about this on the Townhouse Gallery website.
Collectives / Community & Learning / Social Practice /
Exhibitions
Exhibition: Taking Stock
by Mariam Elnozahy, Wouter Osterholt, Elke Uitentuis
Network
Mariam Elnozahy
Curator and writer
Wouter Osterholt
Artist
