Dust
06 May - 13 Jun 2012
DUST
Curated by Alexandra Stock
6 May - 13 June 2012
On view at the Townhouse First Floor Gallery from May 6 through June 13, Xenia Nikolsaya ’s “Dust” is both a photographic exhibition exploring Egypt’s abandoned architectural heritage, and a publication of texts and images that will be launched at Townhouse on May 6. “Dust” will be accompanied by “Tracing Time” symposium* on the occasion of the exhibition and book launch at Rawabet Theatre on May 12th, where historians, architects, artists and theorists Shaimaa Ashour, Vittoria Capresi, Mohamed Elshahed, Xenia Nikolskaya and Ola Seif will discuss a myriad of issues relating to the architectural legacy of the region in light of their individual research and projects.“Dust” explores the conditions and relevance of empty architectural spaces in Egypt, presenting an entwined dualism: dust as materiality that layers the city, literally tracing the passage of time upon urban objects – but also as a temporal metaphor that registers these changes on the level of memories, both past and present.Architecture constructed in Egypt in the late 19th and early 20th centuries – usually referred to as ‘Cosmopolitan Architecture’ – is rapidly succumbing to neglect, a real estate frenzy and the overpopulation of the cities. These factors lend particular urgency to Nikolskaya’s documentation of these spaces. Since she first initiated this project in 2006, a number of the locations depicted in her work have been demolished, while others have gone through a process of renovation and modernization.Nikolskaya's ”Dust” is complex and multi‐layered in 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, her series 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” was completed in January 2011. The accompanying book has now been released by Dewi Lewis Publishing and contains a total of 70 images from thirty locations in Egypt, including Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Minya, Esna, Port Said and villages around the Delta, as well as an essay by On Barak of Princeton University.
Curated by Alexandra Stock
6 May - 13 June 2012
On view at the Townhouse First Floor Gallery from May 6 through June 13, Xenia Nikolsaya ’s “Dust” is both a photographic exhibition exploring Egypt’s abandoned architectural heritage, and a publication of texts and images that will be launched at Townhouse on May 6. “Dust” will be accompanied by “Tracing Time” symposium* on the occasion of the exhibition and book launch at Rawabet Theatre on May 12th, where historians, architects, artists and theorists Shaimaa Ashour, Vittoria Capresi, Mohamed Elshahed, Xenia Nikolskaya and Ola Seif will discuss a myriad of issues relating to the architectural legacy of the region in light of their individual research and projects.“Dust” explores the conditions and relevance of empty architectural spaces in Egypt, presenting an entwined dualism: dust as materiality that layers the city, literally tracing the passage of time upon urban objects – but also as a temporal metaphor that registers these changes on the level of memories, both past and present.Architecture constructed in Egypt in the late 19th and early 20th centuries – usually referred to as ‘Cosmopolitan Architecture’ – is rapidly succumbing to neglect, a real estate frenzy and the overpopulation of the cities. These factors lend particular urgency to Nikolskaya’s documentation of these spaces. Since she first initiated this project in 2006, a number of the locations depicted in her work have been demolished, while others have gone through a process of renovation and modernization.Nikolskaya's ”Dust” is complex and multi‐layered in 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, her series 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” was completed in January 2011. The accompanying book has now been released by Dewi Lewis Publishing and contains a total of 70 images from thirty locations in Egypt, including Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Minya, Esna, Port Said and villages around the Delta, as well as an essay by On Barak of Princeton University.