“An Object Resembling an Artwork” at the Townhouse Gallery

CAIRO – 2 December 2017: An exhibition of artist Ahmed Shawky Hassan’s work titled “An Object Resembling an Artwork” is exhibiting at the Townhouse Gallery at Cairo from November 12 until December 24.

In this unique exhibit, funded by the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, Hassan uses performance art to fully involve the viewer into his work. The exhibition’s purpose is to blur the line between what we consider an ‘object’ and what we think of as ‘art’.

His aim is to challenge pre-conceptions concerning how a viewer constructs the meaning around a piece of art. Inspired by his time working at Cairo’s governmental museums, Hassan has the viewer interact with his art in two ways: through viewing it in an isolated sterilized space or within a contextual situation.

Hassan’s “six protocols” are a series of column texts in red velvet. Other multi-media artworks in the exhibit range from videos, ready-made objects, charcoal renderings and castings, which critique the institutions and the established conventions of art exhibitions.

The Townhouse Gallery is a non-profit art space located in Downtown Cairo, El Nabrawy Street. Established in 1998, the gallery is a key force driving much of the contemporary art scene within Cairo and the Middle East. On a cultural level, the Gallery has contributed greatly to shaping the artistic landscape of the region; and on an individual level, it has helped bolster the careers of curators and practitioners all over.
While originally focused on visual art, the Gallery has since evolved to encompass a wider range of genres.