Galleria Continua hosts Moataz Nasr’s all-inclusive compositions

Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

Galleria Continua @ Burj Al Arab Jumeirah Dubai, is presenting (Feb. 29 – Apr. 22), Egyptian painter, sculptor, multimedia artist and cultural activist Moataz Nasr’s solo exhibition, Bottle Neck. It features both iconic and new productions by the artist. Nasr’s works explore the intersection of tradition and globalisation, questioning the impact of political and economic development in their contexts. He brings together different languages to explore the contradictions of globalisation, past and present, East and West, and the impact of political and economic choices on people. He also seeks to encourage dialogue beyond geographical boundaries by doing so.

The title is a metaphorical expression that indicates a restriction that slows things down, whether real or virtual. Nasr uses it to reflect on the overload of information, news, and events we experience daily, which creates blockages in societies and affects lives. The title also explores the theme of migration, a topic that has become increasingly critical worldwide. The works on display aim to highlight the situation and its consequences and hopes to spark a reflection on our current reality. One of the exhibition’s centerpieces is a structure called Barzakh, reminiscent of the first shelters that humans built to protect themselves. It is made of wooden shovels that resemble those used to put bread in public ovens and the paddles of ancient and contemporary migrant boats.

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The elements there represent the fundamental things we need as human beings: bread, knowledge and courage to shelter ourselves. In Mac Gate, Nasr explores the Western world’s influence on the Middle East, specifically the impact of consumerism on traditional culture. Contradictions combines an unmistakable sign of the Western consumerist world, Coca-Cola, with the ancient and artisanal technique of carpet weaving. It is a thought-provoking commentary on the cultural exchange between different societies.

  Moataz Nasr is an Egyptian artist.

Another work, Shattered Glass, is a bas-relief that unites the Maghreb States to the Middle East, emphasising the shared history and similar culture based on the same religion. However, it is made of shattered glass - showing how everything is cracking and changing, and revealing a reality that is perhaps not exactly that of a cohesive community, with a common religion. The work encourages a consideration of the complexity of cultural and religious identities. In the abstract work Untitled, Nasr thinks about conflicts, geopolitical changes and borders, through signs and colours, inspired by geography and history. It invites the viewer to explore their own interpretation of the piece and the themes it evokes.

Self-taught, he took the decision to follow his passion and abandon his initial career path in Economics. His art journey started with a studio in Old Cairo, after moving from his hometown, Alexandria. Nasr gained local recognition marked by many awards, before breaking into the international art scene in 2001, by winning the Grand Prix at the 8th International Cairo Biennial. It was a breakout moment. Since then, he has participated in large international exhibitions such as the Venice, Seoul, Sao Paulo and Bogota Biennials. Today, he is considered one of the best representatives of pan-Arab contemporary art. Showing complex cultural processes currently underway in the Islamic world, his work overcomes national particularities and geographical limits, and voices the worries and torments, mainly of Egypt and the African continent.

The feeling of belonging to a specific geopolitical and cultural context and the need to maintain a link with his homeland are key elements of his life and work. He investigates conventions and new globalism, questioning geopolitical and social development in the Middle East and Africa and uses his practice as a language that embraces sociology, spirituality and history in order to encourage dialogue across geographical boundaries. He believes that art and life are inseparable. His childhood memories, frustrations and the society in which he is evolving seem to fuel his paintings, sculptures, videos and installations. His work concerns Egypt with its traditions, people and colour though he never slips into exoticism or creates distance.

His work expresses, on the contrary, things which everyone can relate to. This is because, in fact, Egypt is only a background to his creations. It is a territory inhabited by people whose fragility is universal, which includes states such as indifference, powerlessness, solitude and weaknesses inherent in human nature. Together with artists of his generation, Nasr founded Townhouse in Cairo in 1998, the first independent exhibition space in the country’s history. In addition to his artistic practice, Nasr is the founder of Darb 1718, a non-profit arts and culture space in Cairo which hosts a programme of events such as film screenings and workshops, that aims to expand dialogue through community engagement and outreach. Darb 1718 has also established a comprehensive database of Egyptian, Middle Eastern and North African art. Nasr has been invited to take part in Abu Dhabi Art 2018 Beyond and create a site-specific work in the historic sites in Al Ain.

In 2017, he was selected to represent Egypt at the prestigious 57th Venice Biennale. The work presented in the Egyptian Pavilion there was an immersive installation showing the original film, The Mountain. Founded in 1990 in San Gimignano, Italy, Galleria Continua has expanded its locations to Beijing, Les Moulins, Havana, Sao Paulo, Rome, Paris, and Dubai. It inaugurated its permanent space in Dubai in 2021.