• Tue 07 06 2016 / 7 pm •
Domestic Tourism and Other Stories Maha Maamoun

with MAHA MAAMOUN

Mild to violent forms of nationalism which have haunted liberation processes and their aftermaths in recent revolutionary “springs” create political and visual schemes. Artists navigate between them, producing productive estrangement. Maha Maamoun’s work focuses on questions of identity and representation in contemporary Egypt. The first evening with Maha Maamoun presents excerpts from four older works. Domestic Tourism II (2009) finds its starting point in the representation of the pyramids in Egyptian cinema—from the 2000s, before Mubarak’s ousting, to the 1950s, where they serve as a backdrop for a celebrating middle class. 2026 (2010) reimagines Chris Marker’s La Jetée in Egypt, the voiceover narrating an excerpt from a contemporary science fiction novel. Night Visitor: The Night of Counting the Years (2011) is a montage of footage of the storming of the state security headquarters in Cairo and Damanhur. Shooting Stars Remind Me of Eavesdroppers (2013) observes young lovers in an idyllic park, as a fictitious voiceover argues about whether eavesdropping is a crime or not.

Domestic Tourism II (20-minute excerpt) 62′, Egypt, 2009, Color, Arabic with English subs

2026 9′, Egypt, 2010, B/W, Arabic with English subs

Night Visitor: The Night of Counting the Years 8′30′′, Egypt, 2011, Color, Arabic with English subs

Shooting Stars Remind Me of Eavesdroppers 4′45′′ Egypt, 2013, Color, Arabic with English subs

Venue: ACADEMYSPACE, Herwarthstraße 3, 50672 Cologne
Free admission