The Exhibition at The Third Line (Oct 30 - Dec 5, 2013) ‘Passages//Toroq’ by Sherin Guirguis

For Passages//Toroq, Sherin presents works in two parallel series that address concerns of identity formation, highlighted predominantly in the wake of the Arab Springs. The title of the exhibition refers to both the literary and historical passages that are quoted in the work as well as the social passageways, or toroq, forged by the revolution. Crucial to its people, the revolution defies the political, social and cultural standards that have been imposed by and grown out of colonization. Sherin references historical developments in Egypt in order to have a clearer insight to the present.

Three large-scale kinetic sculptures from the first series are fabricated in the shape of traditional Arabic jewelry, and constructed from materials similar to harem mashrabeyas. That they only function when interacted with by a viewer, fluctuating from passive and beautiful to flailing and threatening, the sculptures allude to the role each individual has. Qasr El Shoaq moves slowly and methodically on a single axis, rocking slowly back and forth; Bien El Qasrein twirls, rocks and spins erratically and is the most unpredictable; El Sokareyia is completely static and deconstructed. Shifts in cultural and political paradigms are embodied in the objects’ formal language, both decorative and minimal, as well as the performative interactions.

Sherin Guirguis / Bein El-Qasrein, 2010, Walnut, plywood and lead, 243.8x121.92x121.92 cm / Courtesy of The Third Line and the Artist

Sherin Guirguis / Bein El-Qasrein, 2010, Walnut, plywood and lead, 243.8x121.92x121.92 cm / Courtesy of The Third Line and the Artist

Sherin Guirguis / El Sokareya, 2012, Plywood, 213.36x213.36x223.52 cm / Courtesy of The Third Line and the Artist

Sherin Guirguis / El Sokareya, 2012, Plywood, 213.36x213.36x223.52 cm / Courtesy of The Third Line and the Artist

Sherin Guirguis / El Sokareya, 2012, Plywood, 213.36x213.36x223.52 cm, detail / Courtesy of The Third Line and the Artist

Sherin Guirguis / Qasr El Shoaq, 2010, Plywood, aluminum and lead, 175.26 x 238.76 x 68.58 cm / Courtesy of The Third Line and the Artist

Sherin Guirguis / Qasr El Shoaq, 2010, Plywood, aluminum and lead, 175.26 x 238.76 x 68.58 cm, installation / Courtesy of The Third Line and the Artist

The second series is centered on paintings that explore transitional spaces from historically relevant locations. By continuing her previous practice of hand cut works on paper, embedded with gold powder and gold leafing, Sherin uses architectural references such as doorways, windows, and arches to convey the significance of the site. The paintings include a representation of the door to Huda Shaarawi’s house (one of the last functional harems in the country) and the Cairo railway station Bab El-Hadid.

Sherin Guirguis / Untitled (Bab El-Hadeed), 2013, Mixed media on hand cut paper, 274.32x182.88 cm / Courtesy of The Third Line and the Artist

Sherin Guirguis / Untitled (Bab Huda), 2013, Mixed media on hand cut paper, 274.32x182.88 cm / Courtesy of The Third Line and the Artist

Sherin Guirguis / Untitled (Lahzet Zaman), 2013, Mixed media on hand cut paper, 274.32x182.88 cm / Courtesy of The Third Line and the Artist

Sherin Guirguis / Untitled (Shubback V, Shubback III, Shubback II), 2013, Mixed media on hand cut paper, 274.32x182.88 cm / Courtesy of The Third Line and the Artist

As an Arab-American artist, and part of the Egyptian Diaspora for more than two decades, Sherin’s art practice has involved studying important works of Egyptian literature, music, poetry, design and architecture of the past to be able to contribute to this discourse in the present. She has developed a unique style by selecting decorative and ornamental elements from these sources. By invoking many meanings of Egyptian identities – for example, one man, one woman; one writer, one activist; one work of fiction and one biography – the artist defines the apparent contradictions of cultural identity.

Sherin Guirguis

Sherin Guirguis (b. Egypt, 1974) received her BA from the College of Creative Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1997 and her MFA from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2001. Sherin produces work that investigates the frictions between the contemporary and the traditional. Her work engages both formal and social concerns by juxtaposing the reductive Western language of minimalist aesthetics with that of Middle Eastern ornamentation.

Sherin’s work has been included in the 2010 California Biennial, at the Orange County Museum of Art, CA; Rogue Wave 2013 at LA Louver Gallery, Venice, CA and SouthwestNet, a two-person exhibition, at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, AZ. Solo projects include Qasr El Shouq at LAXART, Los Angeles, CA and Duwamah at Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco, CA.

Selected Group exhibitions include Quadruple Consciousness at Vox Populi, Philadelphia, PA; Under The Knife at the Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA; Las Vegas Diaspora at the Las Vegas Art Museum and the Laguna Beach Art Museum; Quickening at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tuscan and The Dreams Stuff is Made Of, ArtFrankfurt, Germany. She has also participated a series of public programs in conjunction with the 11th Cairo Biennale in 2008. In 2012, she was awarded several prestigious grants and fellowships including, the California Community Foundation Visual Artist Fellowship, the Artists’ Resources for Completion Grant and the Investing in Artists Grant from the Center for Cultural Innovation.

Sherin lives and works in Los Angeles, USA.

The Third Line

The Third Line is a Dubai based art gallery that represents contemporary Middle Eastern artists locally, regionally and internationally. The Third Line also hosts non-profit, alternative programs to increase interest and dialogue in the region. Represented artists include: Abbas Akhavan, Ala Ebtekar, Amir H. Fallah, Arwa Abouon, Babak Golkar, Ebtisam Abdulaziz, Farhad Moshiri, Fouad Elkoury, Golnaz Fathi, Hassan Hajjaj, Hayv Kahraman, Huda Lutfi, Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige, Laleh Khorramian, Lamya Gargash, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Pouran Jinchi, Rana Begum, Sahand Hesamiyan, Sherin Guirguis, Shirin Aliabadi, Slavs and Tatars, Sophia Al-Maria, Tarek Al-Ghoussein and Youssef Nabil.