Collision > Solo Exhibition by Artist Moataz Nasr > @LawrieShabibi November 5- January 10

Moataz Nasr, Elshaab, 2012, 25 ceramic characters, 27 x 6 x 10 cm each, Detail 1

Collision, a solo exhibition by Moataz Nasr, in collaboration with Galleria Continua, San Gimignano / Beijing / Le Moulin will be presented by Lawrie Shabibi this November.

Nasr’s work engages with the urban surroundings of his native Egypt and translates his observations into a universal language to express human despair and suffering, love and hope. Egypt today faces unprecedented social and political challenges, navigating between the baggage of its past and its desire to move onto a better future. A complex and multi-faceted character, Nasr transmits his concerns of social justice, activism and spirituality, through his engagement with the ordinary people in Cairo and by drawing on traditional forms of cultural expression, including calligraphy, embroidery and Sufi poetry, to explore the relationship of the past to the present.

Moataz Nasr, Light Over Shadows, 2012, 66 x 94 cm

Using video, installation and sculpture, this exhibition invites the viewer to look within and to meditate on the various strands that make up life in contemporary Cairo and question how, and at what level of consciousness, are we able to transcend the past in order to navigate the present.

El-Thaher wa El-baten (The Manifest and the Un-manifest), a series of three calligraphic wall hangings, spelling ‘Love’, ‘Beauty’ and ‘Compassion’ bring together two art forms central to the Arab world- the high art of traditional Arabic calligraphy and the popular art of patchwork tapestry making- the works themselves are produced in the “Khayameya” (“Tent-Maker”) district.

Moataz Nasr, Oxymoron I, 2011, Sky-blue matches on wood, 110x140x7 cm

Oxymoron is a work that incorporates matchsticks arranged as calligraphic depictions of lions, formed from Arabic or Persian phrases. In the past such designs would have adorned the outside walls of palaces in Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Turkey and Syria, either painted directly on the wall or onto ceramic tiles, or carved as bas-reliefs. They were symbolic guardians, the text often relating how strong and powerful were the occupants. In Oxymoron the vainglory of the text and image contrasts with the fragile combustible nature of the medium.

Moataz Nasr, Light Over Shadows, 2012, 86 x 86 cm

Light over Shadows, a series of painted calligraphic works on translucent parchment incorporates numinous Arabic phrases within borders taken from the Chinese decorative lexicon.

The video Merge and Emerge shows three Sufi dancers, each in a separate field, viewed from above. The dancers eventually break through into each others’ fields, coming together yet not colliding, through which Nasr symbolically conveys the civil unrest and spirituality of Egypt in equilibrium and unity.

Moataz Nasr, Cairo Walk, 2006, 72 C-prints, 40 x 40 cm each, 320 x 360 cm overall

Cairo Walk is a montage of seventy two images selected from thousands taken by Moataz Nasr during years of expeditions on foot around Cairo, conceived as a unsolvable crossword puzzle with similar images grouped together.

Moataz Nasr, Elshaab, 2012, 25 ceramic characters, 27 x 6 x 10 cm each

Elshaab (The People) consists of twenty-five painted ceramic figures representing the diversity of Egyptian society. Among them is a group of three riot police dragging a female protester along the floor.

More About the Artist: Moataz Nasr
Moataz Nasr is a multi-media artist and cultural activist who employs painting, sculpture, photography and video to explore the fragility and complexity of current social, economic and political conditions. Born in Alexandria in 1961, and currently living in Cairo, Nasr has established himself as one of the leading Egyptian artists of his generation. The artist has participated in many important international art events, including the Venice Biennale (2003), the Seoul Biennale (2004), the Sao Paulo Biennale (2004), the Yokohama Triennale (2005), the Canarie Biennale (2008), the Lubumbashi Biennale (2010), the Thessaloniki Biennale (2011), the Dakar Biennale (2002/2004/2012), the International Canakkale Biennale (2012) and group events such as Arte all’Arte (San Gimignano, 2004), Africa Remix (Kunst Palast, Dusseldorf, 2004; Hayward Gallery, London, 2005; Centre Pompidou, Paris, 2005; Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2006; Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg, 2007), Ghosts of Self and State (Monash University Museum of Art, Melbourne, 2006), Machine-RAUM, Vejle Art Museum and Spinning Factory, Vejle, Denmark, 2007/2011; Traversées (Crossings), Grand Palais, Paris, France, 2008; African contemporary art, Exhibition Center, Algiers, Algeria, 2008; Made in Afrika, National Museum, Nairobi, Kenya, 2008; MidEast Cut, The Danish Film Institute & Backyard Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark (2009); Taswir, Islamische Bildwelten und moderne, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, Germany, 2008; 21st Century: Art in the first Decade, Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia, 2010, Miniatures, 14th Islamic Art Festival, Sharjah Museum, Sharjah, UAE, 2011.

The most recent group shows to which he has contributed in 2012 include: Where is the Time?, Foundation IZOLYATSIA - Platform for Cultural Initiatives, Donetsk, Ucraina, Neon. La materia luminosa dell’arte, MACRO, Rome, Italy, Arab Express, The Latest Art from the Arab World, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan, Par Nature, Centquatre, Paris, France.

In 2008 Moataz Nasr founded Darb 1718, a non-profit centre for contemporary art and culture located in the Fustat area of Old Cairo, which seeks to encourage experimentation by supporting new works by emerging artists.