In Lieu of a Prism – Showcase in Alexandria, Egypt, June 1-8

The artworks of “In Lieu of a Prism” are clustered around three themes: geographies, belonging, and ruins. Geographies are seen as a collection of layers, each with a unique chemical composition, physical state, and impact, much like Alexandria’s many layers, cultures, and identities throughout history, from the Ptolemaic city until today. The city has shifted, twisted, and molded through many narratives, at times serving as an extension of Europe on the African continent, and as a revolutionary city in other narratives.

To which imaginary does Alexandria belong? Can it, just like other Mediterranean cities, be freed from the romantic and colonial gaze? To whom does Alexandria belong? Thinking of belonging as the entanglement of fragments of collective/personal memories, historical narratives, and alternate imaginaries, the compilation of these moments makes up the lenses and prisms through which the city can be seen. Alexandria’s ruins are the visual, sensory, and sonic collapse of the past, as seen in its physical manifestation in the city’s urban fabric and many other cities all around the Mediterranean. A never-ending process of destruction or preservation in service of specific historical and cultural narratives.

“’In Lieu of a Prism’ embraces the residency artists' fractured and nomadic experiences; it showcases artworks that range from meditations on water and climate change to critical aesthetic explorations of nostalgia and memory as a form of sonic knowledge production. Presenting in three venues, the exhibition offers another way of thinking about/through the city – giving prompts for the visitors to engage with Alexandria’s urban landscape before entering the next venue – layering upon the knowledge, experience, and exploration of the exhibiting artists.”

- Marwa Benhalim, curator of exhibition “In Lieu of a Prism”

The showcase takes place from the 1st to the 8th of June in Alexandria, Egypt and is accompanied by a symposium, a walking tour, and live performances in B'sarya for Arts, Institut français d'Egypte à Alexandrie, and 6 Bab Sharq.

Ahmed Saleh, Akoo-o, Asmaa Jama, Chiara Cartuccia, Elena Biserna, Fag Tips (Virgil B/G Taylor), George Moraitis, Islam Shabana, Latent Community, Lodovica Guarnieri, Mahmoud El Safadi, Maria Ilia Kastrouni, Maria Sideri, Mark Lotfy, Mohamed Adel Dessouki, Monai De Paula Antunes, Natassa Dourida, Neja Tomšič, Nina Kurtela, Omnia Sabry, Onur Çimen, Post Disaster, Sam Karpienia, Sara Fakhry Ismail, Stella Ioannidou, Yasmine Hussein, Zeynep Kaserci, Zoé Le Voyer.