© Ahmed Askalany Ahmed Askalany delusion Ahmed Askalany occupies a world in which a fissure exists between the real and the imagined. His is a world of shadowy half-truths, a realm in which a persistent conditioning has eliminated the capacity for introspection, a world of unfulfilled potentials. A skeletal fish looms amidst Askalany's constellation of archetypes, a once robust presence stripped down to its bones. Nearby cats salivate in anticipation of the flesh within, while in an adjacent space, dogs bound toward an opening that exists only as a one-dimensional reference. Here, truth is illusory, for the prize, whether an imagined prosperity or a comfortable exit, is nothing more than a coat of paint - a stunning indictment as to the potential for deception in a world that has lost the will to penetrate a reassuring facade. But there is a humour within the abyss. A caricature-like quality marks a series of dead doves, robbed of their former (exalted) glory, arranged on a marked incline that is subtly reminiscent of the geometries that mark contemporary social structures. Legs exaggeratedly erect, it is death that connects them, grounds them - finally rendering them accessible. Herein lies a recognition that around us is a universal comedy, that in a world in which Order is arbitrary, we are all prone to delusion. November 9 - December 3, 2003 Opening hours: Mon-Wed 10am - 2pm, 6pm - 9pm, Fri 6pm - 9pm. Closed on Thursdays. The Townhouse Gallery Hussein El Me'mar Pasha street off Mahmoud Basyouni street Downtown Cairo Telephone/Fax +20 576 8600 Email info@thetownhousegallery.com www.thetownhousegallery.com |
|
 |
