Exploring the history of Egyptian surrealists in Seoul

CAIRO- 26 April 2017: Sharjah Art Foundation is moving its Egyptian surrealist art exhibition, which features more than 160 pieces by 30 artists, to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, South Korea (MMCA). The exhibition will be shown at the MMCA April 18-July 30.

“When Art Becomes Liberty: The Egyptian Surrealists (1938–1965) (2016–present)” is a historic show which debuted in Cairo last year. It explores the history and evolution of Egyptian surrealists and their notable legacy, both inside and outside Egypt. According to the website of the Sharjah Art Foundation, the exhibition documents “the essential period of modernism” from the late 1930s until the early 1960s, and exhibits the Egyptian surrealists’ role in internationalism, anti-fascist global protest and decolonization movements.

Extensive loans were secured from public and private Egyptian collections, the website said, and many works have never been presented outside Egypt before.

This important exhibition is co-organized by the Sharjah Art Foundation in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, the Fine Arts Sector and the American University in Cairo.

The Korean presentation of this exhibition is organized by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in South Korea, in collaboration with Sharjah Art Foundation, United Arab Emirates, and is curated by Joowon Park.