Artsy Talk by Menna Ayman

Artsy Talk

Revolutionary Arts in focus

Yasmine Hamdan in the Oscars Profiling

Reem Hassan Ahmad Abdalla

Omar el-Zoheiry Speaks up

Undeground Music Reaches Limelight

Issue’s content Editor’s Letter.........4 Section I: Splash...5

Re-opening Mahmoud Said’s Museums...............6 Profile: Abstract Artist Reem Hassan..10 Photo Album: Hassan Hajjaj...12 Article: Art & Revolution.....15

Section II: Underground Music..21

Table of Contents

Interview: El-Morabba3’s gigs in Cairo!..22 Yasmine Hamdan’s Oscars’ road..24 Interview with RaSh Radio....27 Underground Music Rises to Limelight..30 Interview: Rising star Malak el-Husseiny...33

Section III: See What I See.....35 Omar el-Zoheiry reaches Cannes Profile: Ahmad Abadalla

Section IV: Artsy Opinions...40 Arts after January 25............41 Review: Al-Serkal Avenue, Dubai..45 Artsy Talk

Artsy Talk

Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Letter Forgotten truths

a therapy that is often underrated. Whatever was on your mind, you can still express it in whichever way you desire.

An artist should always prioritize his expression, everything else is background. Underground arts are fuelled by expressionism, not commercialism.

Art is firstly about freedom, freedom to express, freedom to unleash your talent. It is often misbelieved that it is initially about pleasing the audience, but what if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have anyone to please, would that make a difference in your work? If yes, then something needs to be changed.

It is a way of contributing to the world, and sharing personal experiences, views, and passions.

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It is about healing your wounds and cherishing your sweetest moments, in hope that someday, someone else can relate to them.

Menna Ayman

Splash Museums, contemporary art, and more

Artsy Talk

New Mahmoud Said Museums Centre Via Daily News Egypt

By Nevine el-Aref Works by the celebrated Egyptian artists Mahmoud Said and Seif and Adham Wanly are back on show following restoration of Alexandria’s Mahmoud Said Museums Centre,

Said’s paintings of nudes are also on display. “They are an important part of his production,” said author Mohamed Baghdady. He added that it is the first time that the nudes have been exhibited in Egypt since 1973.

The Mahmoud Said Museums Centre in Alexandria was officially re-opened on Tuesday by Minister of Culture Gaber Asfour and Alexandria Governor Tarek Al-Mahdi. Egyptian and foreign painters, journalists, and top government officials flocked to the centre for the official inauguration. The re-opening comes after completion of a four-year restoration project costing some LE18 million. Nazira Taman, director of the centre, told AlAhram Weekly that the restoration project began immediately after the centre’s closure in 2010. Due to political instability after the 25 January Revolution, the work was put on hold, she said, but was later resumed. In addition to work on the building, new state-of-the-art security cameras were installed to monitor movements inside and outside the museum 24 hours a day. The centre is located on a bustling commercial street in the Janaklees district of Alexandria. The Italianate building contains some of Egypt’s most priceless treasures. These are not ancient Egyptian statues or artefacts, however, but the artwork of three pioneers of modern Egyptian art: Mahmoud Said and the brothers Adham and Seif Wanly. The Mahmoud Said collection is exhibited in seven halls on the ground floor. These include the first hall, just off the entrance, which holds the awards and honorary certificates Said received over his lifetime. To the right, in another hall, visitors come face-toface with his giant 1947 mural, “Inauguration of the Suez Canal.” Artsy Talk

These include the Banat Bahari paintings (Bahari girls), showing young women with typically Egyptian features taking a stroll along the seashore, their clothes lit by the sun. The lace of the girls’ clothing and the waterseller’s white galabiya are painted with an intense emphasis on the light.

One of Mahmoud Said’s pauntings in

the paintings at Mahmoud Said’s Museum

The mural is 2.7 metres wide and 4 metres long, and depicts the opening of the Suez Canal by Khedive Tawfik, accompanied by France’s Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie. The dignitaries are shown walking towards their seats, where they can enjoy a view of the canal and its flotilla of passing boats. Canal developer Ferdinand de Lesseps can be seen walking behind them, along with other dignitaries and palace officials. Near the museum’s foyer are two large showcases displaying Said’s personal belongings. These include his sunglasses, camera, pipe, a clay mask of his face, pen, paint brushes, and an invitation card to his first exhibition. There is also a bust of the painter. In a side hall, Said’s wooden desk, leather-uphol stered chair, mirror and a set of arabesque chairs are also displayed, along with a collection of his paint brushes and sketches. The museum’s other five halls exhibit his paintings, including portraits of his wife, mother and other relatives, as well as servants who worked for the family. There are also self-portraits of Said, along with paintings of Alexandria neighbourhoods and coastal landscapes.

Painter Anna Boghigian described the paintings as the museum voluptuous, erotic and unreal, the sense of unreality being a function of the artist’s handling of the light. One of the paintings, “The Girl with The Scarf,” she . Their work is shown in seven halls, including 7 1 said, was probably painted in the mid-1930s and conpaintings by Seif and 16 by Adham. According to the tains echoes of Renaissance depictions of the Virgin catalogue, Seif, who lived until the age of 73, was able Mary. to produce far more paintings than his brother Adham, who died of cancer at the age of 58. But, she continued, by exposing a single breast, and keeping the rest of the body clothed, the artist had Seif and Adham were born two years apart (Seif in undermined the religious connotations of the image 1906 and Adham in 1908) to a wealthy Alexandrian and added an erotic element. family that encouraged them to follow their vocations as painters but advised them not to take up painting as Boghigian also noted that Said, in his painting “The a career. Bathers”, shows a reclining nude woman with her feet in the Nile , along with a water jug and doves. The The brothers, however, ignored their parent’s advice, woman appears to be about to receive the blessings and became full-time painters. Beginning from the of the sun. The blues of the Nile and the sky have an 1930s, with their blend of European-influenced, yet extraordinary quality, she said, and contrast with the distinctly Egyptian, styles, they brought vitality to the darker hues of the wet earth. country’s art scene. Mahmoud Said was born in 1897 in Alexandria. Both brothers studied at the studio of Italian artist He was the son of a wealthy aristocratic family that ini Otorino Becchi. After their mentor’s death in 1934 tially objected to his desire to become an artist. they opened a private studio to teach painting to their own students. Adham signed his canvases as “Wanly” “They simply could not relate to his art,” ex-queen while Seif used “Seif” for his signature. While they Farida, a niece of the painter, said in a 1983 interview. received similar training, the brothers developed very “The closest they came to showing a sign of approval different styles. was when they acknowledged that his work must be good because foreigners seemed to appreciate it.” Artsy Talk

Photo of Minister of Culture Gaber Asfour during the re-openning of the centre

Adham explored nature through the everyday life of They were also asked by the Ministry of Culture to his hometown, depicting the sea and fishermen’s boats, paint the heritage of Nubia and Egypt’s ancient monuamong other scenes, while Seif developed a more ab- ments. stract style influenced by futurism and cubism. In 1963, a museum dedicated to the work of the two According to Baghdady, Adham’s paintings are brothers was established in Alexandria, but was later known for their speedy execution, strong touches, closed when the building housing it was demolished. colour, and an expressionistic character. “They were The museum’s artworks were acquired by various very successful when they were exhibited at the Venice institutions and collections, including the Cairo Muand Sao Paolo biennales,” he said. Adham was also seum of Modern Art, Alexandria Museum of Modern very talented at drawing caricatures, publishing some Art, Egyptian Foreign ministry, and several Egyptian of them in the Rose Al-Youssef magazine. embassies. By contrast, according to Baghdady, Seif’s paintings blend the geometry of simplified shapes with futurist and cubist influences. The brothers were members of the teaching staff of the Faculty of Fine Arts in Alexandria.

In addition to the displays devoted to Said and the Wanlys, the centre’s basement contains a collection of the work of other important modern artists. These include Ahmed Nawar, Abdel Hadi Al-Gazar, Margret Nakhla, Ahmed Sabri, Ragheb Ayad, Salah Taher, Ahmed Nada , Gamal Al-Segini and Ahmed Al-SoAdham died in 1959. Seif was active in the country’s touhi, among others. art scene until his death in 1979. Together, the brothers took part in more than 17 exhibitions in Egypt and abroad, notably at the Venice and Sao Paolo biennales.

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Painting by Mahmoud Said

As part of the building’s renovation, a temporary exhibition hall called “Agyal” (Generations) is displaying the work of modern and t. At the inauguration, Asfour said the Mahmoud Said Museum as an important part of Alexandria’s cultural and artistic heritage, and that Alexandria is in a great city that has long embraced different cultures and civilisations.

Ahmed Abdel-Ghani, head of the Fine Arts Section at the Ministry of Culture, said that the re-opening comes within the framework of plans to renovate and re-open to the public all of Egypt’s art museums.

The Modern Art Museum, in the grounds of the Cairo Opera House, was recently renovated, he said. In January 2015, more museums are scheduled to be re-opened, including the Aisha Fahmy Museum in There were plans, he added, to create an Alexandria Zamalek, previously known as the Arts Complex, and Culture Day, and the ministry is studying proposals for the Gamal Abdel-Nasser Museum. when this might be. Al-Mahdi, in his address, described the re-opening of the centre as an important event that sends a powerful message against terrorism. The new centre will encourage tourists to visit Alexandria, he said. Along with the museum, there is also the recently re-opened Royal Jewellery Museum and Al-Shatbi Cultural Palace.

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Issue’s profile:Abstract Artist Reem Hassan By African Artists Blogspot

The really amazing thing is that she managed to find time to teach painting and drawing to children in workshops at the Bibliotheca Alexandria and the Alexandria Atelier, and to contribute to development projects with her colleagues at Gudran association in Alexandria.

Though calm on the surface, Reem Hassan is one of the most restless artists of her generation. A lecturer at the faculty of fine arts in Alexandria, wife to artist Moataz Elsafty and mother of the fantastic child Ahmad, Reem is anything but traditional.

Reem believes that change is possible, that arts in Egypt can develop to an unlimited extend, and that arts education can create a whole generation of creative, critical thinking and liberal young artists.

She is one of the youngest scholars to have obtained a PhD degree in her branch (the title of her PhD thesis is “The influence of philosophy in shaping the contemporary visual arts”), one of very few artists in Alexandria to decide to create an NGO for arts and the dialogue of cultures, “Dwayer”, and a tireless initiator of new artistic projects in her native city. Graduated in 1994, in the faculty of fine arts, university of Alexandria, Reem Hassan is a painter, drawer, video and installation artist, and more recently a performance artist. Her works inspire a kind of vigor that we so desperately lack in our daily life and in many contemporary art works. Reem’s paintings created between the years 2002 and 2006, are highly dramatic: the color and the shapes are playing so vividly to leave the eyes with such a dramatic feeling that never leaves them. In less than ten years, she participated in more than eleven collective exhibitions, among which exhibitions held in Tunisia, Bulgaria, Argentine, Jordan, Austria and Italy. Besides that she offered seven solo exhibitions held between Egypt, the Netherlands and Germany. She won several national and international prizes, such as the jury award in Alexandria Biennale for Mediterranean countries, in 1997 as well as the Grand prize of Port Said Biennale in 2001, and the special Artsy Talk

award of the 8th Cairo international Biennale. She was an artist-in-residency in South Africa, the Netherlands and the USA, among other places. Her paintings are among the official acquisitions of many prestigious organizations, such as the Carthage local government in Tunisia, the Museum of Modern Art in Egypt and the Royal Museum of Jordan.

Photo of artist Reem Hassan

“When I look to the scope of

her works over the years, I can see a wide variety that intrinsically relates to her own personal itinerary, both as a woman and as a cultural activist.’’

One thing she does little is talking, but a lot she does do. Reem has taken upon herself the responsibility of teaching her students at the university in the most unconventional way, she wants them to have their own way in everything, she wants them to have knowledge but to produce knowledge as well, she wants them to be active in their communities, she wants them to learn about arts all over the world, to go to workshops and festivals…etc. In short, she wants them to become agents of change, exactly as she is. Her “Contemporary Human Being” paintings in 2004, oil on canvas, are so amazingly abstract, yet intense with the contemporary crisis of the human being, so often torn between external violence, personal sufferance and the endless existential dilemma. It seems that Reem Hassan did not only express the crisis of the contemporary human being, she took it with her wherever she went. The only full human figure that I found was in her most recent collage work, of painting and photography, created and exhibited during her residency in Capetwon, South Africa, Greatmore studio 2004. Two of Reem Hassan’s paintings in 2012

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Photo Album: These Portraits Of

Moroccan Hipsters Are More Nuanced Than They Look

Hassan Hajjaj, a Moroccan designer, director, and photographer worked on many projects such as ‘Kesh Angels’. Hajjaj’s work .is contemorary, viber and anything but usual Courtsey of The National

From the ‘Kesh Angels’ photosession in 2013

for his photographs, Hajjaj mixes irrelevence with .routine to create humorous, creative themes

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Art & Revolution

Bassel Oudat

The conflict in Syria has added urgency and intensity to the work of the country’s artists Over the past three years, the regime headed by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has arrested hundreds of intellectuals and killed dozens of artists for speaking up against its atrocities. This has not been widely reported in the international media. The story of Syrian art and culture during the country’s revolution is still to be told. Despite the war, Syrian writers are still writing, the country’s painters are still producing paintings and its filmmakers are still making films. Those who follow the cultural scene in Syria even say that television and film production has doubled over the past two or three years. The country now boasts some 50 magazines and newspapers, compared to just a handful before the revolution broke out three years ago. While the conflict may have been hard on everyone in the country, for someone who wants to publish a magazine there is now no need to apply for the government permit that was once all but impossible to obtain. As a result, the freedom that the revolution has been fighting for, although sadly missing in most aspects of life, exists in at least this one detail. Over the past two or three years, ten television channels have been set up along with dozens of new radio stations. Books have appeared telling of the revolution and attempting to shed light on the nature of the conflict. Playwrights continue to write for the stage, songwriters are producing songs about the country’s tribulations, and, whenever the conflict allows, people are still

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Painting by Syrian Artist Sarah Shamma

EXPLOITED AND SIDELINED: In the early days of the revolution, a number of Syrian artists joined formal political parties and organisations, seeing this as the most direct way to become part of the ongoing change, to offer guidance, to lead others and to stay in touch with developments on the ground. But things have not always turned out as they expected. Perhaps the intellectuals were politically naive. Untutored in the ways of politics, many of them may have been sidelined by one-upmanship and the deceptions of veteran players. As the months of the revolution went by, the seasoned politicians who ended up controlling the opposition sometimes used the fame of the country’s intellectual figures to promote their own parties and perhaps also themselves. At the same time, they failed to turn the visions of the country’s artists and writers into a reality

Syria is witnessing a greater artistic output than almost ever before, and some say that its focus has shifted. Writers and artists now focus on the theme of the revolution, and everything else has been sub Artsy Talk

The National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (NCSROF), flagship of the mainstream opposition and the one group that has clear Western support, was not above exploiting the country’s intelligentsia, using their celebrity status to promote its own agenda without offering them a role to match their talents.

actually left the United States to return to Syria during the conflict in order to start his business.

“For me, publishing is a more than a career option. It is an obsession I developed through my passion for books, which I developed as a child growing up in impoverished circumstances,” he said. “I returned from the US to Syria in the middle of all the death and mayhem in Syria’s intellectuals, like many of their peers across order to start a publishing house. This may sound surthe Arab world, turned out to be inept politicians. The real, but many writers want to see their work published, years of political stagnation in the country may not have and there are still many readers who want to read.” repressed their creativity or yearning for freedom, but it did keep them untrained in matters of politics, leaving A writer and poet in his own right, Ahmad admits them unfamiliar with the wiles of its practitioners. that the conflict has altered the nature of his writing. “No one has the time to write a long novel or poem, Reem Turkmani, a Syrian opposition writer, has been not with the events unfolding so quickly around us,” he less than impressed by the performance of Syrian intel- said. Artists have a sense of urgency that did not exist lectuals in politics. “There is a lack of participation by before the conflict, he added. intellectuals and thinkers in politics, although there is a desperate need for their presence in political action,” “I for one have no working routine amid this reality she said. Syrian publishers complain that they have been blocked from attending Arab book fairs in recent years, mostly According to Turkmani, the main reason for the in- because Arab officialdom wants to keep the Syrian govability of the intelligentsia to take the high ground in ernment at arm’s length. Syrian politics has been that the whole “political space” of the country has been all but closed to them for dec“The crisis of Syrian publishing is two-tiered. The ades. serious publishers in the country were in trouble even before the war, and things got worse once it was under “The entire public space was closed to anyone who way,” he said. was not a part of the regime. Such a situation does not give rise to people who are capable of political action, “Several countries have prevented Syrian publishers except in very rare cases. The sudden openness of the from participating in book fairs, and countries that oppolitical space when the revolution began left many pose the Syrian regime have ended up punishing Syrian Syrian intellectuals confused and disoriented,” Turkm- publishers in the process. The irony is that most pubani said. lishers in Syria support the revolution,” Al-Barghouthi said. “I respect those intellectuals who have decided to take part in Syrian political life, even if their experi- AN ART-FREE OPPOSITION: ence has been limited. But it is not an exaggeration to say that the reluctance of a large number of the elite to One of the unexpected revelations of recent years is engage in politics is one of the reasons for the chaos we that the Syrian opposition does not seem to have much see all around us today,” she added. use for art. However, one of the puzzling realities about the SyrInstead, it seems to be more focused on military and ian conflict is that the country’s publishers have manpolitical matters and on closing ranks and get It has aged to stay in business despite the economic and poscarcely been interested in the work of poets, filmmak litical turmoil. Syrian publisher Ahmad Ahmad, for example, the director of the Arwad Publishing House, Artsy Talk

painting by Syrian artist, Ahmed Moualla

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The opposition may spend days debating who among its ranks should take what post in the future government. It may allocate millions to producing reports about the future of Syria, and it may be handling shipments of relief that may or may not be delivered to where they are most needed. But when it comes to art, it has shown itself to be perplexed.

There is a total absence of artistic or cultural work sponsored by the opposition. Art is either supported by the artists themselves or by foreign institutions,” she said. Unlike political activists and revolutionaries, writ ers and artists are often portrayed as people who can keep their distance from events and who can rise above the fray to see the larger picture..

Samir Shoqeir, a songwriter who wrote some of the most memorable songs of the revolution in its early days, has not been pleased with the way the opposition Athing a Syrian writer says or does can be wiped has treated the country’s artists. “There has been no tribute paid to art. There has not been even the slight- out in a second by a single barrel bomb,” he said. Sometimes the work of the artist seems irrelevant est attempt to use the energy of the intellectuals and when compared to the urgency of helping the victims the talent of committed artists,” he said. of the conflict. Shoqeir, convinced of the power of art to feed the revolution, has been frustrated by the opposition’s conduct. “Since the beginning of the revolution, it has become clear that a song or a poem or a novel can change behaviour or even change the destiny of a people,” he said. “The fact that years can pass without the Syrian political opposition realising the need to use committed revolutionary art even as a moral gesture is a sign of failure.”

“On a practical level, there is nothing that is likely to influence the revolution more than the provision of a loaf of bread or a blanket for a refugee,” Ahmad remarked. “The relief worker and the peace advocate can do more good than the writer. But Syria’s writers are not in competition for the crosshairs of the sights of a sniper’s gun,” he added.

The writer has to take all this in and use it to create what cannot be created otherwise.” The arts, he said, were not only a way of alleviating pain, but also of extracting meaning. “Through literature, the writer should strive to alleviate the pains of t

Khashuq also believes that the ongoing destruction in Syria undermines the influence of art. “Many Syrian artists produce important works of art and still do so. But the sheer scale of the present violence and the deterioration in human life have detracted from the impact of that art,” she said.

Al-Abdallah draws a distinction between art and revolutionary action. “The revolution has influenced all forms of culture, art, and expression. And yet it is not necessary for every work of art to be a revolutionary act, or for all revolutionary acts to be creative and beautiful,” she said.

People cannot appreciate art when they are “looking for bread to eat and candles to light their home and when they are spending days without electricity or water,” she added.

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Art is art. Even in a time of revolution, the writer cannot give up the role of literature. The writer has to use the immediacy of events to keep going,” he said. “The climate of the Syrian revolution is urgent and the stink of blood and death hangs in the air. The writer has to take all this in and use it to create what cannot be created otherwise.” The arts, he said, were not only a way of alleviating pain, but also of extracting meaning. “Through literature, the writer should strive to alleviate the pains of t Al-Abdallah draws a distinction between art and revolutionary action. “The revolution has influenced all forms of culture, art, and expression. And yet it is not necessary for every work of art to be a revolutionary act, or for all revolutionary acts to be creative and beautiful,” she said. Faraj Bayraqdar, a Syrian poet currently based in Sweden, has been disillusioned by the tragic course the revolution has taken. He had given up his nationality because he no longer wanted to be associated with a regime that killed its own people, he said. “I was not honoured to have my identity papers issued by a blood-thirsty regime,” he said. “But giving up my nationality doesn’t mean that I will stop doing all I can for the Syrian revolution. Perhaps one day I can become a real citizen of Syria once again,” he added. Al-Abdallah is also convinced that the Syrian revolution will give rise to a revolution in the country’s cinema. “For half a century, Syrians have lived under the yoke of the Baathist regime. Now they have come to understand the importance of documenting what they have lived through,” she said.

Both paintings are by Syrian Artist Sarah Shamma

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Underground Music in the Middle East Artsy Talk

Artsy Talk

Interview: Jordanian Band el-Morabba3 Takes on Cairo

Do you have any future plans regarding the develop ment of your sound and music?

Finally, do you guys have anything to say to all our eager readers and all your devoted listeners?

On our next album we’ll be more focused on the synthpop genre and rather electronic-based sound rather than some of our previous acoustic vibes. Also, for our next album, we’re planning on releasing singles within the coming couple of months hopefully with their own music videos. We’re currently in the process of financing this new endeavour.

Wait for our new album, which will feature an abundance of new musical muses and beats, as well as a renewed mixture of genres.

What about your lyrics and the rather harsh and deep topics they’ve always taken on, will that change?

el-Morabba3 performing a gig live in Egypt, 2014

By Alia Serry for Scoop Empire The ever-growing Arab underground music keeps on taking us by surprise and seems to be delightfully limitless when it comes to its budding talents and creative We got the chance to sit down and chat with the talented lads about all things that revolve around their music minds. and future plans and here’s what they had to say: El Morabba3, an originally-quartet-turned-trio Jordanian band that originated from Amman is a fine example How do you feel about finally playing in Cairo for the of the outspoken underground bands that have risen to first time? fame amongst other independent Arab artists in recent We feel immensely relieved because we’ve finally gotyears. ten the much-awaited chance to see our Egyptian fans Their music, as they describe it, is “euphoric and – especially since we seem to have a rather big fan base deliciously dark” and it is this very striking feature of in Egypt. We’ve also always heard from so many other their sound that makes them stand out amidst the sea of fellow artists about how much of a joy it is to play for Egyptian audiences, since they’re always so energetic, countless other performers and after playing for them, we definitely agree. We feel The band’s true love and devotion for their fans, as like we’re right at home here. well as their own music shined strongly during their performances, as they made sure they obliged to the This whole experience has been rather overwhelming screaming audience’s requests for them to play their and frankly indescribable. most beloved tracks, such as “Ta7t El Ard” and “Ya Zein.” ing “3ala Shat El Nile”, “Al Bath Al 7ay” and “Al Mokhtalefeen.”

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To wrap up, we can’t wait to see what this talented bunch has for us in store next with their upcoming album and quite massive future plans. They’re definitely an amazing, unique and unquestionably exceptional addition to the underground Arab music scene.

We’ve always loved shedding a light on all the aspects of reality, be them positive or negative. We like to talk about topics that generally influence society and those which the Arab world deems as significant and important. We’ve always aimed to discuss those issues as they are without sugar-coating them, and will definitely continue to do so. So many youth are turning to the underground scene to get their music fix, what do you guys think of that shift in musical interests that the Arab world has witnessed in the past few years? We feel like in the past 10 years, most Arab countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, and Lebanon, have birthed an abundance of independent, underground artists and bands. .

El-Morabba3’s fans in Al-Rab3 events centre

Are there any indie bands or artists that you woulwant to collaborate with in the future? Personally, we’re huge fans of Zeid Hamdan and Yasmine Hamdan’s work and would definitely love working with them. We love Zeid’s electronic music that always makes us feel very inspired. We also would love to collaborate with Tamer Abou Ghazaleh, as we‘re fans of his work as well. Finally, we’re planning on working again with a Tuni sian artist called Amina Enabi, whom we’ve workedwith earlier in the year when we performed in Jordan .

Photo from the Cairo Jazz Club’s gig

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Lebanon’s Yasmine Hamdan enters the Oscars’ race By Daily Star BEIRUT: Anyone who has seen Jim Jarmusch’s wry vampire comedy “Only Lovers Left Alive” will recall the scene close to the end of the movie, in which the immortal, bloodsucking lovers Adam (Tom Hiddleston) and Eve (Tilda Swinton) cease wandering the narrow alleyways of Tangier to marvel at a throaty, hypnotic performance of the love song “Hal,” by Lebanese singer-songwriter Yasmine Hamdan.

Ironically the song, which Hamdan wrote especially for the film, has been named one of 79 tracks competing for Best Original Song at the 87th Academy Awards. The slow-paced, mournful track is about a pair of lovers who can’t find a way to be together. Though the separation is killing her, Hamdan sings, she is unable to find any solution.

The official video for the track, an extract from the Nodding at the swaying singer, clad in black leather trousers and an embroidered belt, her bare arms en- film, features Hamdan swaying sensually as she sings cased in bangles, Eve tells Adam “Her name is Yas- the haunting number, her dark hair falling across her face. The performance takes place in a dimly lit café, mine. She’ll be famous one day.” where patrons stand silently under the ugly strip lights, as though mesmerized, and glasses of beer lie forgotten on tables.

“I hope not,” the vampire replies.“She’s too good to be famous.”

The nominations will be announced live on Jan. 15 and the Oscar ceremony is set to take place at the Dolby Theater at Hollywood and Highland Center in Hollywood on Feb. 22.

Hamdan performing in one of her gigs

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Interview:

RaSh Radio Artsy Talk

Artsy Talk

By Dania Younis

Who would have thought that Rash’s very first song, ‘Irish Coffee’, would make it all the way to the top sinHe has melodies and beats running through his veins gles on Nile FM? “I’m still surprised till this day. But I that are not like any other. You wouldn’t imagine the guess when you put a part of yourself into something, depth of his character and the artistic sense of this people feed off that, and relate to it on some level”, young man. With his insanely spontaneous attitude and Rash passionately explains. unbelievable sense of humour, we succeded in making Rash Radio sit modestly yet confidently and tell us all Well, it is true that sometimes when artists get out of about himself and his music. the normal path that others follow, they surprisingly excel and their work earns admiration. This is exactly “Music is not a hobby, it’s not some- Rash’s situation who wasn’t able to write something that was similar to the typical construction of songs thing you do in your spare time, it’s and decided to do his own thing.

not something you do when you’re done with your 9 to 5”, Rash revolts.

Rash is what his friends call him for short and Radio from the way that he is inspired as he simply hears something in his head and tries to make music out of it. He is a real radio head and you can feel that music is the nourishment of his soul, “If it weren’t for music, I would be either dead or killing people”, said Rash, who has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. We’ve learned that the sound of raindrops on a tin roof is one of the many sounds that inspire Rash, a rather weird yet beautiful combination of nature. When we asked he explains that, “The rhythm of nature, and the untouched acoustics of it, is more inspiring to me than anything else”.

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“I think it’s all about believing in yourself, as well as believing yourself. If I don’t believe me, no one will!”, Rash declares. as Rash used to play electric guitar but was still looking for a type of music that would show his talent. He knew that this was the genre of music that he loved the most and instantly knew which direction to take.

A Dave Mathews fanatic describes Rash in a nutshell! He organized with a friend of his, Nader Wahba, a concert under the name of Dave Mathews Tribute and was able to get some of the best musicians in Egypt to perform.

The concert was the first time for me on stage, and was one of the best days of my life. Nothing beats the feeling of seeing your vision take form”, Rash adds. With him being extremely sick and having taken a bunch of mixed medications, thinking it would help him feel better faster, he did surprisingly great as all the seats were occupied and they had to create more space for more audience to get in.Neobyrd, an established electronica artist is his producer and one of his best friends.

Weirdest thing a fan ever told you. A girl once sent me a message telling me that her mom cried while listening to my song Ghosts. Wouldn’t say “weird”, but certainly was surprising, in a good way. Name the last illegal thing that you’ve done. I tried to kidnap ke$ha to give her a bath, but she transformed into P Diddy! It was morning, and she has just woken up.

Upcoming singles in the pipeline. I’m getting some new stuff recorded at the moment, and considering Talking about the song ‘Ghosts’ that has reached out to releasing an album soon. As for singles, that’s for sure. many people’s hearts and its difference in style autoA whole bunch of them. matically boosted up his fan base, we learned that there was no mysterious story behind it, it’s just a song that people could relate to because they might have been in the place of either the girl or the guy that the song is about. Well, many songs do not reach people to an extent that they feel their stories are being told in a tune, young music in Egypt has not yet matured up to this level and Rash thinks that more venues need to open up, and the scene needs to get revived as soon as possible. Albums that changed your life. I’m just going to say the entire Dave Matthews discography, and Maroon5’s ‘Songs About Jane’.

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Underground music rises to the limelight By Marwa Morgan Via Daily News Egypt The independent Egyptian band “CairoKee” has been Finding underground bands, such as Cairokee, and nominated for the Best Middle East Act category in the singers like Ramy Essam, in protests among young MTV European music awards. people and having the same political stance as the majority of the youth, made them distinctive from mainThe band recently launched their latest album featur- stream singers who took the side of the regime to keep ing five songs including “El Sekka Shemal” (The way their status, said Nahla Esmat, programme manager at is wrong), which has the same title as that of the album Rawabet Space for Performing Arts. and discusses the struggle of living in the middle of “contradictions” in Egypt. “The audience is always searching for someone who looks like them – who has something in common with Other successful tracks by CairoKee include Sout El- them,” she said. Horreya (The Sound of Freedom), Matloub Za’eem (A leader is wanted) and Yal-Midan (Oh, the square) feaDuring the revolution, underground music was an turing the renowned Egyptian singer Aida Al-Ayoubi. integral part of many protests and sit-ins. New songs by singers like Ramy Esam and Eskendrella band were The band, which was formed in 2003, is one of many performed in Tahrir Square, along with covers of old independent or “underground” bands that rose to fame songs of El-Sheikh Imam Eissa, a singer and composer in the past few years. Many underground bands were who has been an icon of revolutionary music since the also formed during this period. sixties.

Youssra el-Hawary performing live in al-Balad theatre Mainstream music on the other hand, uses “the same 25 words” of love in every song, said Esmat, referring to a stand-up comedy performance by George Azmy mocking the “used up” language of mainstream romance topics.

they were in the past since bands don’t need to produce CDs or cassette tapes to distribute their music, said Esmat. “It is easy to have a home studio to produce music with decent quality for online distribution,” she said. Since most underground musicians write their own lyrMost underground bands tackle various topics in ics and compose their songs themselves, their productheir songs. One example is Massar Egbari, an under- tion cost remains much less than that of mainstream ground band that produced love songs such as “Mersal music. l Habibti” (A letter to my lover), songs for workers such as “Heila Heila”, a motivational phrase associThe segments that form the underground scene’s ated with hard work in the Egyptian culture, along audience have changed too, she said. With the rise in with social topics as unemployment “Ee’ra El-Khabar” their popularity, underground musicians became open (read the headline), a song about job ads in newspapers to members of the upper class and the upper segment that still do not fulfil the needs of unemployed young of the middle class, segments who can afford to pay people looking for jobs. for concerts, she said. Over the past months, an underground musician, Youssra El-Hawary, has hosted a radio show “A’det mazzika,” which broadcasts casual music sessions with underground singers and bands on one of the popular radio channels, Nogoum FM.

Cairokee band on the left and Masar Egbari’s vocal singer on the right

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With the increased prominence of social media websites, which were used during the Egypt revolution for political discussions and calls for protests, a new channel emerged for the underground musicians to distribute their music, said Esmat. Aside from concerts, singers used to depend on producing albums in the past,” she said, “now everyone is on YouTube and SoundCloud.”

Iskendrella band performing at al-Sawi Culture Wheel

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The Rising Egyptian Star Malak el-Husseiny By Aliaa Serry for Scoop Empire

time. I’m also really influenced by the 50s/60s and that’s very evident in my new music.

Throughout Egypt, it’s very hard to find someone What was the first song you ever sang? How did it who’s talented. However, we were lucky enough to make you feel? meet the amazing Malak El Husseiny. Not only did we get to hear her sing, but we got a chance to interview her. We spoke with this dynamic performer about her music history, and the confidence she brings to her performances.Check out what Malak El Husseiny has to say to the world.

I honestly don’t remember, It was probably twinkle twinkle as soon as I began talking. The first song I ever performed in front of a big audience was Heaven by Bryan Adams when I was about 12. I was really scared and my voice was very shaky but when I was finished I knew I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.

Tell us a little about yourself? Who is Malak El Husseiny? How did it all start? What do you think your “biggest break” or “greatest opportunity” has been so far in your musical career? I’ve been singing for as long as I remember, music was always a big part of my life growing up so it My biggest break so far was being signed to Subwas always the lifestyle I lead. I started writing music space and being given the opportunity to work with around 2 years ago when I was 17. so many people that inspire me and start working on I never knew it could be so liberating and therapeutic to pour myself into song writing, ever since I started it just became my escape. I never used to perform any of my originals though, I used to just write to express but never intended them to be for show. Only this past year have I been able to put myself out there for the world and it changed my life.

my EP. I’ve been really finding out a lot about myself and the music I want to create, It’s life changing. Who are your biggest musical influences?

I have so many musical influences from different genres but I guess the legends of their time are The Beatles, Scorpions, Janis Joplin, and The Doors.

How would you describe your music for the public au- If you had to do anything other than singing what dience if they have never seen you before? would that be? This question is really tricky, I’ve answered it differently each time. I’ve always wanted to do music that’s different and experimental but it’s hard to do that live if u only have a guitar to accompany you. My EP is really different from what I usually perform, it’s far from acoustic. It’s me being who I want to become. It’s cinematic, yet dark and light at the same

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Well, I wouldn’t choose one thing because I’m into so many art forms. I love painting and fashion, so I would pursue these as a career. I will probably do that as soon as I get a kick start on my music career because I don’t need to choose just one path, it’s all creative expression for me.

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See What I See: Movies, reviews & more

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Egyptian director Omar El Zohairy’s short film marks a first at Cannes

A Scene from the nominated movie The Aftermath of the Inauguration of the Public Toilet at Kilometer 375

By The National The Middle East may be under-represented at this year’s Cannes, but it can take home one accolade: the film with the longest title at the festival. The Aftermath of the Inauguration of the Public Toilet at Kilometer 375 may have numerous honours already (among them, the only film to force Cannes schedulers to widen their printed brochures?), but it’s also the first Egyptian film to appear in Cannes’ Cinéfondation competition for student shorts, one of 16 films picked from 1,631 submissions.

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“I actually worked with Yousry on After the Battle Aftermath is inspired by Anton Chekhov’s hilarious and his previous film Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story, short story The Death of a Government Clerk – about and with Ahmad on Rags &Tatters and his new film, Décor, which is in post-production. I love those two,” an administrative officer driven to his end through fear – but has been given a contemporary and Egyptian says El Zohairy, adding that he has, like many young filmmakers, also done work on commercials. interpretation.

“It’s about trying to make a Russian story Egyptian, with Egyptian visuals and relations, but at the same time it’s very global, about a normal man who is afraid of everything and has nothing to do except be afraid.”

Aftermath will screen in Cannes on Thursday and is up for three awards from the Cinéfondation competition, with the competition’s jury presided by the Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami. After that, El Zohairy hopes to continue on the international festival circuit.

It’s a great honour for me. When your film is selected for a festival like Cannes, it’s a great opportunity to be selected in other festivals. I’d like to go to Toronto The film was shot in an old factory in Cairo built in the and also to Indian and Russian festivals – new regions 1960s, which is when El Zohairy says Egypt began to for me.” Then there’s the newly re-emerged Cairo Film lose its identity through modernisation. Festival, which returns this November and has, for the first time, a competition for shorts. “It’s very iconic to what I mean, that this is our modern life, stuck in the 1960s but without any upgradAnd following on from his previous appearance at the ing,” he says. Dubai International Film Festival, he’s also hoping to bring the short back to the UAE: “I’m aiming for Abu For aesthetic experience, El Zohairy has worked Dhabi.” under the wings of two Egyptian directors, Yousry Nasrallah and Ahmad Abdalla. Both have been previous Cannes attendees, Nasrallah with the revolutionset drama After the Battle, which screened in 2012, and Abdalla with his short 18 Days, which made its appearance at the festival the year earlier.

“It’s actually the first film to appear in Cannes’ official selection,” says the film’s director Omar El Zohairy, a recent graduate of Egypt’s High Cinema Institute, whose previous short Zafir (Breathe Out) won a Special Mention prize in the Murh Arab Short category in the 2011 Dubai International Film Festival. “It’s a very simple film about fear. I wanted to make a film about fear because, on a personal level, it’s my motivation. I’m always afraid of everything – time, being here in Egypt, which is a difficult country to be in right now. The beginning of the idea was that I have an obsession with fear.”

Omar el-Zoheiry, the movie’s director

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Ahmad Abdulla

Alex Ritman

Ahmad Abdalla is proving to be a filmmaker increasingly difficult to pigeonhole. Following his first two, hugely well-received feature films, Heliopolis and Microphone, it looked like the young Egyptian was a storyteller-slash-documentary man possessing a deeply satirical streak – and with one foot in his country’s vibrant underground scene. But then came last year’s Rags &Tatters, a far quieter, almost experimental drama that cleverly flittered around the edges of the 2011 Egyptian revolution without diving into its turbulent heart. His latest production, however, takes him on an even wider tangent. Decor, based on a script by Mohamed Diab (who directed the drama 678, a Dubai International Film Festival 2010 hit alongside Abdalla’s Microphone), is a psychological drama set in Cairo. “It’s about a woman struggling to know what she wants, and struggling to have her own choices in life,” says Abdalla, speaking in Dublin at the first Dublin Arabic Film Festival, where Rags &Tatters was given a special screening. “I would consider it more classic than any film I’ve done before, an homage to old Egyptian cinema, to Faten Hamama and Omar Sharif. The main character is obsessed with old Egyptian films, which she keeps playing on VHS.” In keeping with the classic theme, the entire film is played out in black and white, the first Egyptian film to use this format since Mohamed Fadel’s 1996 drama Nasser 56, about the late Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser. But despite the aesthetic and genre differences, the major shift for Abdalla was the actual filmmaking itself, with Decor marking the director’s first foray away from independent cinema, having been brought on by the local commercial production house New Century. “It meant I was working with a big budget for the first Artsy Talk

Scene from Abdulla’s latest movies; Decor, starring Khalid Aboulnaga and Horeya Farghali

“They were very violent, pushing us and telling us to go back to Cairo, shouting ‘We don’t want you’ and ‘You’re from Al Jazeera’. This is what I’m scared about the most in the current situation.” Whatever the future holds for filmmakers in Egypt, it won’t deter Abdalla, who says he’ll probably change tack again for his next production, going from unlimited finances back to his old low-budget stamping grounds. “I think I’d like to go even more independent than before, back to very small crews – just three or four – and using unknown actors. I’d like to try this one more time.” With Decor likely to see more major production houses knocking on his door, it could well be Abdalla’s last chance to keep things low key for some time.

But with this project, it wasn’t anywhere as laid time in my life,” he says, admitting that he was some- back. Every single hour is costing a lot of money, so I times a little scared by the numbers, rumoured to be had to make sure it was very tight, as I couldn’t afford as much as US$800,000 (Dh2.9 million). to lose any time on the talent or my crew.” “The first time I was hearing figures, just on basic things such as the camera or the lighting, it was already 10 times what I used to have. So, in the end, I just decided not to know and asked them not to tell me. But everything I wanted was there. If one day I wanted some very expensive, sophisticated equipment, they would bring it. I wanted to have a dream sequence, so we needed big, computer-generated scenes, which are very expensive, and they did it.” With big budgets come big production teams and big responsibilities, another stark difference to Abdalla’s previous shooting methods.

In choosing Abdalla to take the reins of Decor, New Century had picked arguably the most exciting director working in Egypt today. But despite Abdalla’s recent rise to deserved prominence, his country’s past few turbulent years have made for uncertain times for its film industry, with the outpouring of creative expression that emerged from the 2011 revolution marred by fears regarding censorship and interference from the changing powers.

“People are becoming very camera-phobic, they’re now very scared when they see a camera in the street,” he says, laying the blame on the local media “On Microphone, for example, I was used to work- for pushing conspiracy theories regarding foreigners ing with about seven or eight people on set – that was filming in Egypt. “The first thing you hear when you my crew. But for this one, some days we had over take out your camera now is ‘Are you from Al Ja100 people behind the camera,” he says, adding that zeera?’ It’s crazy.” everything had to be planned to the minute. When shooting scenes for Microphone in Alexan“With Rags & Tatters or Microphone, for me it was dria in 2010, Abdalla says local residents were hugely easy. ‘Are we going to film today, are we not going to supportive, regularly coming out to watch the filming film today? Let’s try tomorrow.’ Nobody was worried But upon returning to Egypt recently for a docuas it wasn’t very expensive. mentary project, Abdalla says the second he emerged from the production bus with his equipment, he was greeted with hostility. Artsy Talk

What has become of art in Egypt since January 25? By Egyptian Streets In April 2013 the Egyptian artist Chant Avedissian, 62, set a new record for an auction sale of a living Arab artist. “Icons of the Nile” was sold at a staggering $ 1,565,000 at Sotheby’s contemporary art auction held in Katara cultural village in Doha. If you come across this piece of information you may feel proud to be Egyptian, and you should be. But though this sale is an indicator that the art scene in Egypt is in perfectly good shape, it is unfortunately far from the reality of things. The art scene in Egypt is underdeveloped, fragmented and alien to the majority of its own people. The art market is not easily accessible both for the community of young and talented Egyptian artists who lack empowering opportunities and the Egyptian community at large who sees art as something arcane and confined to galleries and museums where the vast majority of the population is not interested in going or cannot go. For example, do you know that there is a museum of modern Egyptian art in Zamalek? If so, have you ever been there?

by Giacomo Crescenzi There is the lack of a clear legal framework supporting artists’ rights to perform and distribute their work and protecting artists from royalties infringement, the lack of organizations providing core services to develop artistic careers, and the lack of connection All of these problems were present under the old regime and are still present today. Things seem to have actually worsened as culture is even more politicized than before: just look at the pre June 30 protests against the Islamization of culture in Egypt. The country has gone political and culture is being used as an additional branch of the political fight. This evolution is not encouraging as most changes must be led at the institutional level.

The art sector in Egypt suffers a number of strucHowever, there seems to be a widespread consensus tural problems which have not been addressed over the last few decades and can be identified in the lack on the fact that the “Egyptian revolution” may have of funds to empower young artists, promote Egyptian helped Egyptian art to go mainstream, but we shouldn’t culture and reach new audiences in Egypt and abroad. trust this assumption as there wasn’t a substantial effect on any of the structural problems outlines above.

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Saying that the “Egyptian revolution” may have helped Egyptian art to go mainstream does not even reflect the complexity of the art scene at its creative roots nor the different effects that it had on several generations of photographers, painters, sculptors etc. Egypt is rich in talent and has a plethora of young artists who have been shaken to the core by the events of “#Jan25” and the consequent years of transition.

of Egyptian art became the most debated form of art performed in Egypt overnight and still today the vast majority of news articles about art in Egypt discuss the iconic Muhammad Mahmoud street in Cairo and its significance.

Despite the fact that street art is only one small component of the art scene in Egypt, this newly found media interest may have had a positive impact if the public interest was translated into concrete opportuniSome have inevitably shifted their work towards a ties for street artists as representative of a new era for strongly politicized realm of artistic expression, some art in Egypt, but very little has been done to this date. have put art at use to depict the struggle of a country and its people without political affiliations, some, and Lots of articles, documentaries and interviews but this is the majority, have completely withdrawn from no funds nor strategies for the inclusion of Egyptian the unfolding events and seek to fulfil their art by artists in the main outlets of the global art scene have rediscovering, restoring and cherishing the Egyptian been allocated or put in place. To the extent that Egypt cultural heritage made of people, places and history. is not even represented in the two major art events being launched in the Middle East, namely the Dubai Art The Egyptian revolution set very clear criteria of Expo 2013 and the Sharjah Biennal 11 2013. newsworthiness based on the political relevance of information and it does not surprise that street art was And what about the majority of Egyptian artists who put under the spot light by national and international have nothing to do with street art? Why haven’t they media and “sold” to the national and international pubbeen empowered as representatives of a culture that lic as a symbol of a revitalized art scene. The armed needs to soften its politicization? wing

In all of this mess something seems to be moving slowly and there are some positive signs. In 2013 two curators Daniela P. Bacialupo (Italian) and Enas Elkorashy (Egyptian residing in Italy) brought the art of a selection of five Egyptian artists to Venice by creating a collective of Egyptian contemporary art. Although this news seems encouraging it has to be said that the collective was not included in the official program of the Venice Biennale, and more importantly, the initiative was launched by the outside as of reiterating the message that very little comes from within Egypt itself regarding art today. Another, much more positive sign, is that for the first time in Egypt the concept of social art seems to be winning grounds in the fabric of social enterprises. In 2013 the business “Al-Qomrah” was founded with the mission to educate and mentor socially engaged artists and empower them to make art a sustainable life choice

Painting by Giacomo Crescenzi

“Al-Qomrah” shows that someone has finally understood that outside any politicization, art can be used as a tool to promote social change as it stimulates self-reflection and critical thinking, which are the basis of individual awareness and the only engine to surpass imaginary differences, fight misconceptions and promote universal ideas of cooperation, empathy and understanding. If you think of Egypt today, this is what art should be used for. It is in this regard that the Egyptian revolution may have had an utterly positive impact on the art scene in Egypt, as social art wouldn’t be here if it was not for the aspiration to social change that it brought with it.

A painting by Eman Abdou

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Review: al-Serkal Avenue Art thrives: the underground arts scene of Dubai

al-Serkal’s venue’s backdoors

Exterior. Night. Electronic music resonates through the dimly lit streets of Al Quoz industrial area in Dubai. The heat of the UAE hangs heavy in the air while people from all walks of life spill in and out of the warehouses that line the area, with wine glasses in hand. Some gather in a corner watching an improvised performance of hip-hop dance break out, while others chat in small groups as they explore the place. It’s a scene taken right out of New York. Maybe even Berlin, except a tad hotter.

Alserkal Avenue is a hub of arts in the UAE, hidden between industrial workshops in a warehouse. It has grown organically and is in step with the Middle East’s expanding art culture.

This is roughly the ambience that surrounded the gallery openings in Alserkal Avenue on Sept. 15.

Contemporary art is blossoming throughout the Middle East, with significant amounts of government money being invested in cultural development. Doha’s Mathaf Museum of Modern Art, Sharjah’s Art Foundation, which already features a biennial and complexes such as Alserkal and XVA Gallery in Dubai are all examples of the region’s interest in matching the art spheres of other world capitals.

Freshman Angela Orozco said of her experience: “The Alserkal Avenue was an escape of what I knew until now … An industrial area, a useless warehouse … The

Dubai aspires to be one of the main hubs for exchanging, displaying and experiencing contemporary artworks. Considering the large disposable income and mixed demographics that characterize the city,

Graffiti decorates the walls of the industrial-spacesturned art galleries of Alserkal Avenue, where men and women mingle and enjoy the opening of over 17 exhibitions of artists from all over the Middle East.

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Burj Khalifa forgotten and ignored in all its splendor. In this corner of Dubai, the culture changes. You walk along the streets and the air is thin. The avenue lends itself for spontaneous dances of social encounters and critical conversations.”

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However, contemporary art in Dubai seems to be growing at a slow pace. Revenues in galleries and auctions houses such as Christie’s and Bonhams have not seen significant increases in the last few years. Orozco’s view of the Alserkal event as an escape from the usual UAE experience, rather than as a part of it, speaks to the limited stage the arts scene Dubai still finds itself on. “There is a network of people around you in places like London or New York — museums, galleries, dealers. This is what helps you weather a downturn. All that is very much in its infancy in Dubai,” said Bonhams’ Matthew Girling to Reuters. There is no denying that there is an audience in Dubai for the types of contemporary regional talent that is being showcased in places like Alserkal Avenue and even though the market’s growth is not yet booming, spaces such as The Young Collectors Auction Viewing within Alserkal, which features local works at relatively affordable prices, continue to push the art scene forward in the evolving hub that is Dubai.

As put by senior Cleo Smits, “It is always very exciting to see a public for this type of event and realize that there is interest in the contemporary arts in the country — the outlets for this interest are increasing in number and hopefully will continue to advance in quality as well.”

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Sculpture at al-Serkal Avenue

Serkal Schedule

Grey Noise Hassan Matar December - 08 January 10 A4 Space Campus Art Dubai Talk January 03 The Fridge January - 15 February 11

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By Hassan Hajjaj Design, Film, Photography INSIDE El-Morabba3 Takes Egypt By Storm Interviews with RaSh Radio And Malak