Aida Eltorie, is an independent curator and director to a newfound organization: Finding Projects Association. A Masters degree candidate in Islamic Art and Architecture at the American University in Cairo (2013), Eltorie’s most recent project involves curating the late Ahmed Basiony at the 2011 Egyptian Pavilion of the 54th International Venice Biennale. Her past work includes curating the film program at Manifesta 8, under the curatorial auspices of The Chamber of Public Secrets, and the video collective Contemporary Arab Video Encounter (CAVE) at Maraya Art Centre (Sharjah, UAE). Editor-in-Chief of Contemporary Practices Journal (Dubai); Volumes 4, 5, and 6, Eltorie has worked with The Townhouse Gallery of contemporary art (Cairo) for a period of 5-7 years from when the Gallery first opened in Cairo, during which she was also involved with The International Museum of Women (San Francisco) when they first launched in March 2003. By 2007, Eltorie moved to New York whereby she was accepted as a curatorial intern at The Brooklyn Museum’s Elizabeth Sackler Feminist Art Center, and continued her time there working with Bidoun Magazine for a year and then Christie's auction house with the Indian and Southeast Asian Department. She independently produced a number of international projects with artists and cultural practitioners from the Middle East and Europe, with various support granted from institutions like ProHelvetia Swiss Arts Council and The Ford Foundation. Published works can be read in Contemporary Practices Journal, and catalogues for shows curated by Daniela da Prato on art from the Arab World and Iran in Paris; Breaking News (2008), Golden Gates (2009), and Patrizio Travagli’s Monograph, MMX (Florence, 2010).
More information about Findingprojects is on this page.
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Video Project: Aspirations / Photo by Osama Dawod -
Aspirations: The Fable, the Dream, and the One Thousandth and One Night. Curated by Aida Eltorie, under the auspices of Contemporary Practices Journal and Albareh Gallery (Bahrain). Dubai Art Fair, March 2009 / Curatorial Statement: States of social authority and aspirations to the fable are moments reserved to our imagination. Searching for the superhero, the villain and the last night of 1001 tales, come projects from regional and international perspectives on the fictionalization of facts and their encounters with reality. Basim Magdy realizes the eventual fate of Superman in a world where accidents can happen. Larissa Sansour becomes the first Palestinian to step foot on the moon, another departure into exile, she seeks to claim a ‘no man’s land.’ Khaled Hafez recalls his childhood heroes, but then discovers faults with the rise and fall of authority figures, and disregards an unchanging regime. Aissa Deebi fixatedly watches a woman devour a chocolate soldier. Yin-Ju Chen voids the banality of her daily endeavors with a collage of herself in two unwavering contexts. Susan Hefuna explores the differences of cultural disposition with the pronunciations of “I, Me, Myself” in Arabic and German. Daniela Swarowsky and Samuli Schielke explore desires for Egyptian migration from a utopic viewpoint, the frustrations of detainment and disappointments of arriving. Oraib Toukan finds herself on google earth as she travels through borders of the Middle East and narrates her happenings. Naiza Khan restores the boundaries of a small forgotten yet ‘found’ fishing community on Manora Island. Maryam Jafri revisits a “film noir” episode in Staged Archive. Waheeda Malullah animates a conservative dress by “rainbowing” a color-less photograph. Ahmed Mater Aseeri x-rays a blatant suicide. Assia Lakhlif exemplifies a dreamer’s longing for the drafted soldier and Madeline Djerejian reminisces an expats’ departure from a ‘75 conflict zone. These are a few of the works proposed to function with and without time or space. Fully dependent on the human state of mind and its apprehension to truth, the dream and the identities associated with the artists’ fantasies are what bring us to this series of short video screenings.
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Image is a partial range of details from Arab Film Posters Department at The
Yale University Library, Near East Collection and reconfigured for the purpose
of the CPS Film Programme (www.library.yale.edu/neareast/poster.html). -
Image detailing an iconographic painting of 'King Kong' partially extracted from a Polish film poster for the 1968 movie King Kong Escapes! Originating from a 1933 stop-motion animation, remade in 1976 in the United States of America by Italian Producer Agostino De Laurentiis, and again in 2005 by New Zealand film director Sir Peter Jackson. With several other film sequels, this global character has lived throughout the century in other visual formats such as cartoons, comics and books.
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CAVE -
Contemporary Arab Video Encounter | The first International Video Biennial from the Arab World. Maraya Art Center, Sharjah / November 2010.
Curated by Aida Eltorie -
FLYWAY | New works by Aissa H. Deebi -
Albareh Gallery (Bahrain), November 2010
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credits:
(testi) Aida Eltorie, Marina Giordani, David Bianco (traduzioni) Veronica Soldani (fotografie) Gildardo Gallo (www.zona-x.org), Gino di Paolo, Robeya Williams Walt (www.robeya.com) (grafica) Gualtiero Gualtieri (www.gualtiero.com)
ringraziamenti:
Cecilia, Marina Giordani, Carlo e Rosella Nesi, Angelo Giuliano Pisati, Roberta Pecci e Marco Moretti, Massimiliano Madonna e Gabriela Fust, Massimo Guarducci, Brunetto e Miguel, Antonio S·nchez-Ramos, Andrea Ferrara, Alessio Spadaro, Massimo Pinzani,
Giovanni Pinzani, Valerio Tarricone, ISBN 978-88-95977-08-9
www.travagli.it -
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Years of Residency is a publication launched by Pro Helvetia's Swiss Arts Council, Cairo Liaison Office in August 2010. Reflecting on their support for the past decade on artists residency programs between the MENA region and Switzerland, Years of Residency tells the stories of 10 artists and their projects across four disciplines; visuals arts, literature, music and theatre. Paraphrased Introduction from the Director of Pro Helvetia (Cairo):
Pro Helvetia gives priority to the artist and his role in society, acknowledging his/her needs and desire to interact with other cultures. Thus, the arts council focuses on the residency program, inviting Swiss artists for residencies in the Arab region and providing an equal opportunity of a residency in Switzerland to Arab artists. This program also supports mutual projects by artists from both sides, which deepen the human intercommunication and allow the audience to get to know a different culture, through an artistic, inspiring and profound point of view. The residency program of Pro Helvetia leads to a fruitful dialogue among artists, not just depending on first impressions. Publication Edited by Aida Eltorie, designed by Amr El Kafrawy, and Managed by Nevine Fayek. You can pick-up your copy from the head office:
Pro Helvetia Cairo
Swiss Arts Council
c/o Embassy of Switzerland
10, Abdel Khaleq Tharwat Street
EG-Cairo, Egypt
T +202 257 74 100
F +202 257 92 267
cairo@prohelvetia.org.eg
www.prohelvetia.org.eg -
Aida
