Taking Stock examines Egypt's cultural scene

The exhibition Taking Stock shows the results of an artistic research project that took place from January to March 2020 in Cairo, Egypt. The project is a response to the closure of the Townhouse Gallery of Contemporary Art. The closure prompted an examination of a series of events in central Cairo and Egypt's cultural scene.

Taking Stock is an art project that took place between January and March 2020. The project commemorates the closure of the Townhouse Gallery of Contemporary Art in Cairo, Egypt.

This project, initiated by Elke Uitentuis, Wouter Osterholt and Mariam Elnozahy, reflects on a layered situation. Townhouse acted as a lens through which to look at a web of events in Cairo - and Egypt's cultural scene as a whole. The first phase of the research involved creating a colossal installation with towering storage cabinets, containing all the remaining objects from the gallery on display. To bring this installation to life, artists, cultural workers, artisans, neighbours and labourers were invited to take a seat in the installation and draw a leftover object of their own choice.

This process developed into a series of interactive still-life drawing sessions. These drawing sessions were open, intimate and slow, providing space for informal discussions and reflections. In this space, the Townhouse community gathered to reflect or draw strength from this transition phase. Uitentuis: "Together, we gathered in the middle of the abandoned remains of the gallery, drawing the old objects that had emerged from the various storage areas. While drawing, we discussed the events of the past decade: the period of political turmoil, the transformation of the neighbourhood, the closure of the gallery, and more." It became a series of conversations that ranged from very personal to abstract and political. Each session was recorded and transcribed; the speakers remained anonymous. It was posted on an interactive web platform, navigable through search terms that appeared frequently in the conversations.

Townhouse Gallery was a non-profit art space located in the heart of Downtown Cairo. It occupied an iconic position within contemporary art in the Middle East; a key driver of what has become a culturally rich, regional art scene.

Mariam Elnozahy is a curator and writer from Cairo. She currently works for music platform Ma3azef.com. Previously, she curated exhibitions at both the Townhouse Gallery, as well as various spaces in Jeddah and London.

Wouter Osterholt is a Berlin-based artist who graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. He develops projects in specific places through which he aims to unravel hidden relationships and conflicting interests that determine the functioning of that place.

Elke Uitentuis is a visual artist, human rights activist and mother. From 2005 to 2013, she was part of the artist duo Osterholt/Uitentuis. During that time, Osterholt/Uitentuis realised community projects from the point of view of democratising people's relationship with their immediate environment.

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Dates 19 June - 8 Aug 2021;
Initiators Mariam Elnozahy, Wouter Osterholt, Elke Uitentuis