‘Dust’: Exhibition and symposium on Egypt’s abandoned heritage by Swedish photographer Xenia Niokolsaya
On the occasion of the launch of her photographic exhibition
and book named ‘DUST’, Swedish
photographer Xenia Niokolsaya will participate to a symposium on May
12th at Rawabet Theatre on Egypt’s abandoned architectural heritage, during
which she will present her recently published book. Together with historians,
architects, artists and theorists, the panellists will discuss a myriad of
issues relating to the architectural legacy in light of their individual
research and projects.
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‘Dust’ is complex and multi‐layered in photographic
project that its qualities not only span the artistic, but also have the added
value of documenting Egypt’s fading and forgotten architecture. In addition to
the aesthetic value, Nikolskaya’s series that consist of 70 images from thirty
locations in Egypt, including Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Minya, Esna, Port Said
and villages around the Delta, is also a valuable source of in‐depth
information, baring long‐term witness to a country’s ongoing economic and
social changes.
When the artist first embarked on this project in
2006, she was driven by curiosity. But with Egypt coincidentally progressing
though a momentous shift in its history, ‘Dust’ has come to illustrate an
economic stagnation, which has engulfed Egypt over the past three decades.
Nikolskaya’s project underlines the significance of documenting a country in
its transformative phase, and highlights the urgency of reflecting on Egypt’s
history in order to understand its future.
‘Dust’
Exhibition and symposium are supported by the Embassy of Sweden in
Cairo, in collaboration with The Town House Gallery.
‘Dust’ Symposium on Egypt’s abandoned heritage
Date: Saturday, 12 May 2012
Time: 04:00 pm to 07:00 pm
Venue: Rawabet Theatre (Townhouse Gallery) – 10,
Nabrawy Street off Champollion Street
Down town Cairo
Main Speakers will include: The symposium will be
inaugurated by Amb. Malin Kärre: Swedish Ambassador in Cairo, Shaimaa Ashour:
an architect and lecturer at Cairo University, Dr. Vittoria Capresi: Associate
Professor of History of Architecture at the German University of Cairo, Faculty
of Architecture, Mohamed Elshahed: a doctoral candidate in the Middle East
Studies Department at New York University, Xenia Nikolskaya: Swedish
Photographer that lives between St. Petersburg, Stockholm and Cairo, Ola Seif: an
art historian specializing in medieval middle eastern markets, modern Cairene
architecture and the history of Egyptian and middle eastern photography.
The Exhibition
You can also visit the photo exhibition by Xenia
Nikolskaya
Date: From 6 May to 13 June 2012
Time: Open daily from 10:00 am to 08:00 pm
Venue: Townhouse Gallery – 10, Nabrawy Street off
Champollion Street, Downtown Cairo – 1st Floor
and book named ‘DUST’, Swedish
photographer Xenia Niokolsaya will participate to a symposium on May
12th at Rawabet Theatre on Egypt’s abandoned architectural heritage, during
which she will present her recently published book. Together with historians,
architects, artists and theorists, the panellists will discuss a myriad of
issues relating to the architectural legacy in light of their individual
research and projects.
{jcomments on}
project that its qualities not only span the artistic, but also have the added
value of documenting Egypt’s fading and forgotten architecture. In addition to
the aesthetic value, Nikolskaya’s series that consist of 70 images from thirty
locations in Egypt, including Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Minya, Esna, Port Said
and villages around the Delta, is also a valuable source of in‐depth
information, baring long‐term witness to a country’s ongoing economic and
social changes.
2006, she was driven by curiosity. But with Egypt coincidentally progressing
though a momentous shift in its history, ‘Dust’ has come to illustrate an
economic stagnation, which has engulfed Egypt over the past three decades.
Nikolskaya’s project underlines the significance of documenting a country in
its transformative phase, and highlights the urgency of reflecting on Egypt’s
history in order to understand its future.
Exhibition and symposium are supported by the Embassy of Sweden in
Cairo, in collaboration with The Town House Gallery.
Nabrawy Street off Champollion Street
inaugurated by Amb. Malin Kärre: Swedish Ambassador in Cairo, Shaimaa Ashour:
an architect and lecturer at Cairo University, Dr. Vittoria Capresi: Associate
Professor of History of Architecture at the German University of Cairo, Faculty
of Architecture, Mohamed Elshahed: a doctoral candidate in the Middle East
Studies Department at New York University, Xenia Nikolskaya: Swedish
Photographer that lives between St. Petersburg, Stockholm and Cairo, Ola Seif: an
art historian specializing in medieval middle eastern markets, modern Cairene
architecture and the history of Egyptian and middle eastern photography.
Nikolskaya
Champollion Street, Downtown Cairo – 1st Floor
