RACOTIS ART announces launch of a virtual exhibition titled ‘Atmosphere’ showcasing 85 works by 22 emerging and well-established contemporary Egyptian artists. The exhibition will launch on 21 December 2020 on the Racotis website www.racotis.art and continue until 31 January 2021. The Exhibition is curated by Mohamed Elzohiry, founder and consultant at RACOTIS ART.
The exhibition aims to examine the current situation and the different conditions surrounding the artists and their interaction with them. The works present daily scenes as well as highlight the human feelings and interaction with a variety of situations, stressing on places and times that we refer to as circumstances.
The English word Atmosphere carries multiple meanings. It can be used in reference to the layer of gases surrounding the earth or another planet, but it can also describe the energy of feelings or mood in a place that surrounds us, or a general atmosphere that the artwork triggers. With this multiplicity of meanings of the word, the artworks take atmosphere as source of inspiration, while stressing on their creators’ interaction with the environment.
"Throughout this artistic experience, we aim to contribute to the development of the online exhibitions and see how virtual exhibitions can create a significant transformation in the global art market. We take into consideration the viewers’ experience as they navigate within such virtual shows. We also seek to help art collectors and art lovers to find and explore our collections in an easy and accessible way. The whole journey aims to create joy and happiness, and add values to the viewers’ lives. Coronavirus and the accompanying quarantine, have forced art professionals to try out a variety of new digital technologies. It’s reasonable to think that successful and low-cost solutions will remain even after the pandemic ends," comments Mohamed Elzohiry.
The exhibition brings together numerous creative minds, painters and sculptors, namely: Taha Nasr, Ahmed Senbel, Mohamed Adel Dessouki, Ahmed Allam, Souad Abdel Rassoul, Mohamed Ziada, Rania Abul Azm, Omnia Reda, Mohamed Elmasry, Eman Ossama, Marwa Ben Halim, Moustafa Khedr, Chadi Salama, Khaled M Wahab, Wael Darwesh, Marian Nosshi, Qiruo He, Noha Nagui, Ahmed Youssri, Khaled Abdel Rahman and Sarah Kassem.
While most of the names are Egyptian, some are linked to Egypt through their artistic practice: Khalid Abdelrahman, a self-thought artist born in Khartoum where he has lived all of his life except for short intervals to study in Egypt, and China-born Qiruo He, who studied film, painting and ceramics, before coming to Egypt (2016) and focusing on art creation.
Born mainly in the 1980s and the 1990s, the artists have already created their imprints on the Egyptian artistic scene and participated in numerous local and international exhibitions. Some of them are currently lecturers at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University, Cairo and Faculty of Fine Arts, Alexandria University.
The artists have a large scope of interests and among the many topics they focus on in their work are: the human movement and quest for freedom (Wael Darwesh), interactions between human and time (Noha Nagui), women’s feelings and emotions (Eman Ossama), spiritual understanding of the world we live in (Khaled M Wahab), etc.
"We have an ambitious plan to reach the international audience by taking steady and studied steps from cooperation with other cultural and art institutions all over the world to creating awareness about the Middle Eastern and African Art Scene and help them reach take the position and exposure they deserve. Moving online can have numerous benefits for everyone in the market. It will help art sellers cut costs and enable them to reach a truly global audience. It will make the art world more democratic since people will be able to buy art from all over the world. Posting art prices online where everyone can see them, will increase the transparency of otherwise opaque art market. Although this doesn’t mean that the ordinary galleries will no more exists. What might happen is that every player on the art market will reconsider the fragile balance between online and offline exhibitions and sales," Elzohiry comments.
Co-founder of RACOTIS ART, Mohamed Elzohiry is an Egyptian artist and curator born in Alexandria. Elzohiry studied Art and Sculpture at the Faculty of Fine Arts graduating in 2008. He has been working in numerous art organizations inside and outside Egypt, and has co-curated a number of exhibitions at galleries and artistic organisations such the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, TAM Gallery Cairo, New Arts Exchange Gallery UK and other institutions. As the Art world continues to expand and evolve, Elzohiry’s vision and love for Mediterranean and African Art led him to establish RACOTIS ART with a strong focus on North Africa and aiming to create point of intersection between African, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cultures.
The exhibition will launch on 21 December 2020 on the Racotis website www.racotis.art and continue until 31 January 2021.