The Pick 5
08 Jul - 01 Aug 2012
THE PICK 5
Artists: Nazly Abaza, Gehad Enwar, Islam Shabana, Ahmed Shawky, Mahmoud Tarek, Sama Waly
Curated by Saba3aktouber with Space for Contemporary Art
8 July - 1 August 2012
For three weeks in July, six artists who are current students or recent graduates from Cairo universities will come together in the First Floor Gallery for “The Pick 5,” Townhouse’s semi-annual survey of emerging artists.
Unlike past years, this iteration of the Pick was not curated around a particular medium, theme or specific university course. The selected artists represent media including sound, installation, web art, photography and textiles; and engage with diverse themes from the nostalgia of intimate, partially obscured memories to political issues of power and control.
“The Pick 5” was curated by Saba3aktouber, a loose collective of artists and writers based in Cairo who have weekly conversations (usually about art) that are recorded and put on the internet. Earlier in 2012, one of those conversations focused on the phenomenon of the “young artist” show. From “Younger than Jesus” at the Whitney to a myriad of examples closer to home, exhibitions framed by labels like “youth,” “student” and “emerging” (including this one) are too numerous to count. But how useful are these labels really in bringing work together? Is it still worth it to pay attention to them anymore?
We decided to put our skepticism to the test and work out some of our questions by collaborating on “The Pick 5.” We asked professors and established artists to recommend students to us for the show. The final exhibition is a continuation of our ongoing conversations about this problematic label.
“The Pick 5” was organized in coordination with “The Space for Contemporary Art and Culture Development,” a platform for young emerging artists based in Egypt that focuses intensively on mentorship, supporting contemporary practices, and developing ideas and projects, by opening up the thinking space between “Idea” and “Production."
Artists: Nazly Abaza, Gehad Enwar, Islam Shabana, Ahmed Shawky, Mahmoud Tarek, Sama Waly
Curated by Saba3aktouber with Space for Contemporary Art
8 July - 1 August 2012
For three weeks in July, six artists who are current students or recent graduates from Cairo universities will come together in the First Floor Gallery for “The Pick 5,” Townhouse’s semi-annual survey of emerging artists.
Unlike past years, this iteration of the Pick was not curated around a particular medium, theme or specific university course. The selected artists represent media including sound, installation, web art, photography and textiles; and engage with diverse themes from the nostalgia of intimate, partially obscured memories to political issues of power and control.
“The Pick 5” was curated by Saba3aktouber, a loose collective of artists and writers based in Cairo who have weekly conversations (usually about art) that are recorded and put on the internet. Earlier in 2012, one of those conversations focused on the phenomenon of the “young artist” show. From “Younger than Jesus” at the Whitney to a myriad of examples closer to home, exhibitions framed by labels like “youth,” “student” and “emerging” (including this one) are too numerous to count. But how useful are these labels really in bringing work together? Is it still worth it to pay attention to them anymore?
We decided to put our skepticism to the test and work out some of our questions by collaborating on “The Pick 5.” We asked professors and established artists to recommend students to us for the show. The final exhibition is a continuation of our ongoing conversations about this problematic label.
“The Pick 5” was organized in coordination with “The Space for Contemporary Art and Culture Development,” a platform for young emerging artists based in Egypt that focuses intensively on mentorship, supporting contemporary practices, and developing ideas and projects, by opening up the thinking space between “Idea” and “Production."