EXHIBITION GUIDE

Basim Magdy The Stars Were Aligned for a Century of New Beginnings

Friday 14 April to Sunday 18 June 2017

ARNOLFINI

For over 50 years Arnolfini has been an innovative cultural resource for the people of Bristol and beyond. A leading centre for the contemporary arts, Arnolfini presents an ambitious programme of visual art, performance, music and film, and offers a wide range of engaging family events. As an educational charity, Arnolfini provides a diverse and exciting interactive learning programme for all ages. Arnolfini is also home to a much-loved bookshop, with an exceptional range of books and gift ideas, and a café bar offering locally sourced and home baked food.

Thank you for visiting today. Please make a donation to help keep great art free for all in our galleries.

No Shooting Stars, 2016Super 16mm and GIF animations transferred to Full HD. 14 min. 25 sec.

INTRODUCTION

“For me, making a work about a possible post apocalyptic future is only rational looking at everything around me… The only possible outcome for this interest is to wish I had a crystal ball or a time machine to step into the future and bring back a record of it to the present time.” Basim Magdy

The passing of time, past, present and future, is central to Basim Magdy’s work. Combining poetic language with a playful sense of the absurd, his works on paper and in film, photography and slide projection explore the hopefulness and failure of ambitions for a utopian future. Over time, cycles unfold as history is repeated and present is revealed to be determined by the past.

The Stars Were Aligned for a Century of New Beginnings is Basim Magdy’s first solo exhibition at a public institution in the UK. The exhibition is presented across all five galleries of Arnolfini, along with an offsite work on Big Screen Bristol in Millennium Square. Further information and resources are available in the Reading Room on Level 2.

The artist would like to invite you to respond to the work through your own digital devices. Take a picture, use parody, write a love story, add filters, stickers, or digital doodles. When complete share with #dearbasim to our Twitter or Instagram feeds @arnolfiniarts.

FROM DOWN HERE, SUNSETS LOOK LIKE FROZEN FIREWORKS TRAPPED INSIDE A MAGIC LAMP

THE GENIE DIED AND WAS REPLACED WITH A VAMPIRE SQUID LONG AGO

THERE’S NOTHING LEFT TO WISH FOR EXCEPT FLEETING KNOWLEDGE AND A FINAL ESCAPE.

GROUND FLOOR: GALLERY 1

In Basim Magdy’s recent films, there is a constant fluctuation in images, narrative and sound. These different elements are layered together like a collage; images reference reality, but combine with text to hint at new meanings. Magdy shoots in 16mm film, which has a very particular quality. Unlike digital technology, these images do not precisely mimic how we see the world. Altered colours create an ambiguity about time and place, an interpretation of reality rather than a direct representation.

In Gallery 1, No Shooting Stars, 2016, meditates on the vast and mysterious territory of the ocean. Humans have explored the sea for centuries, but the depths under the surface are still largely unknown. Unlike land, demarcated by borders and sovereignty, oceans are characterised by fluidity, natural forces and movement. Mermaids and monsters feature in the film’s poetic narration, familiar myths and stories together with references to our relationship with the ocean and the consequences of our actions.

LEVEL 1: GALLERIES 2, 3, AND 4

Magdy often works with experimental techniques to manipulate the analogue film that he works with, such as “pickling” film in household chemicals, or using light leaks and scratches and punched holes on the surface. He is interested in how this changes the film strip. In the dual slide projector work in Gallery 2, A 240 Second Analysis of Failure and Hopefulness (With Coke, Vinegar and Other Tear Gas Remedies), 2012, the demolition and reconstruction of a building complex is documented in a familiar cycle of destruction and development. The film was shot over the period of one month, and liquids such as vinegar and coca cola – which have been used historically as home remedies to tear gas – were applied to the slide film, distorting the colours. Loss, destruction and creation are physically present in the process of production. The slides are not shown in chronological order but are mixed together, blurring our perception of demolition and construction.

The Everyday Ritual of Solitude Hatching Monkeys, 2014, is based on a short story written by the artist’s father, Magdy El-Gohary. The evocative narrative is combined with altered colours, reflection and superimposed images. Sound is essential in these works, and the artist uses field recordings and samples found online to build multi-layered soundtracks.

WOULD A FIREFLY FEARTHE FIRE THAT BURNS IN ITS HEART

A point of familiarity such as a building or museum artefact, is often the starting point in Magdy’s film works, a memory that might bring to mind a particular time and place. These works look at the future but are anchored in the present, with subtle political observations and investigations of how societies function, or the roles that individuals play within them. Dreams and scientific theory are combined in The Dent, 2014, where the aspirations of an anonymous small town to host the Olympics fail repeatedly, until its residents eventually recognise and accept their situation. Past, present and imagined future overlap as the artist addresses notions of collectivity and the failure of utopian ideas, as mistakes are repeated over and over again. This was the first work in which Magdy applied experimental processes to 16mm film. The resulting flickering abstractions of dots, drips and scratches layered on top of the image give a diffused sense of place, and a quality of timelessness.

The large photographic work in Gallery 3, An Apology to a Love Story that Crashed into a Whale, 2016, is a love story that emerges through fragments of text and images. The story has no beginning or end, revealing the complexity of love and the limits of language. Magdy also reflects on the circulation of images and information online, and the fluid relationship between reality and virtuality in the digital age. The way we present our lives online has radically changed in the last decade, and he questions the way we archive and pass on memories in order to shape our own future.

An Apology to a Love Story that Crashed into a Whale, 201664 C-Prints on Fujiflex Metallic Paper

Magdy trained as a painter at Helwan University in Cairo, and painting and creating works on paper remain an important part of his practice. Similar to his film pieces, the works on paper presented in Gallery 3 use a process of layering, combining acrylic, gouache, oil, spray paint and collage. In contrast to the film and slide projection though, these works recall graphic art from the ‘60s and ‘70s, such as the artwork by

Heinz Edelmann for Yellow Submarine by The Beatles. Focusing on a period when progressive ideas of a utopian future were based on the imaginary rather than a present reality, these science fiction dreams feature strange creatures, early satellites and once visionary but now obsolete architectural structures. Enigmatic titles offer new dimensions and narratives for the scenes depicted. For Arnolfini, the artist has created a new installation for these works, with painted walls marking the transition from one moment in time to another.

LEVEL 2: GALLERY 5

In 13 Essential Rules for Understanding the World, 2011, a cynical analysis of society is presented through the disillusioned voices of colourful tulips with childishly drawn faces. As in many of Magdy’s works, pessimism about the future is offset by a comic sense of the ridiculous. Dark humour reveals the artist’s scepticism about dreams of a more progressive society and political systems that claim social transformation.

NEVER LET YOURSELF FALL ASLEEP.YOU’LL DREAM.

GALLERY PLAN

Level 2

Level 1

Ground Floor

Gallery 2

Gallery 3

Gallery 1Café Bar

Gallery 4

Bookshop

Reading RoomGallery 5

Light Studio

OFFSITE

An offsite work, Advice for the Young and the Seekers of Sanity, 2012, is presented on Big Screen Bristol in Millennium Square. This short film takes one of Magdy’s 13 Essential Rules into public space, directly addressing passers-by. The work will be screened at variable times throughout the day, but can also be viewed at 3pm every weekday during the exhibition period, apart from 22 to 29 May, and 6 to 12 June. The film can also be viewed on the Arnolfini website.

ARTIST BOOK DISPLAY

A selection of original artists’ books is presented in the Reading Room, including a book by Basim Magdy and editions from the Arnolfini Artist Book Collection. The artists in this display envision fictional pasts and dystopian futures, featuring vampire machines, dream sequences and failed space missions. The selection responds to themes in The Stars Were Aligned for a Century of New Beginnings, with works that chart historic landscapes, alternate civilisations and science fiction, including Huang Yong Ping’s Travel Guide for 2000-2046, Fluxus manifestos and o[rphan] d[rift>]’s cyberpunk fiction.

READING ROOM

Visit the Reading Room, on Level 2, for further reading materials and information about Basim Magdy. We would also be interested to hear about your experience of the exhibition, and would welcome your comments.

THE FUTURE OF BRISTOL Stories shape our memories and affect how we feel about places. What might a story set in the future tell us about our present reality? What will people of the future think about the way we live our lives in the present?

Arnolfini and Basim Magdy would like to invite you to write a short story, poem or text that is set in a Bristol of the future. A story might be personal, about the way you see your future relationship to the city. It might also imagine a future memory of the city as a whole. It could be built on the city’s past, or imagine what will come of the present.

We would welcome submissions from people aged 16–25, and will offer mentoring sessions to three selected writers. Please indicate when sending us your submission if you are interested in this opportunity. A selection of entries will be published on the Arnolfini blog.

Please send entries to phil.owen@arnolfini.org.uk by 5pm on 31 May 2017. Text can be accompanied by an image, and be as long or as short as you like.

POSTER EDITION

Everyone partied and no one caredLitho print on gloss paper32.25cm x 50cm£5

A new poster edition has been produced with Basim Magdy to accompany the exhibition. Please inquire in the bookshop for further information. The publication celebrating Basim Magdy as Deutsche Bank’s “Artist of the Year” is also available for a special price of £30 (RRP £35).

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Basim Magdy is an Egyptian artist based in Basel, Switzerland. He has had major solo exhibitions in Europe and the US, and is increasingly recognised internationally. In 2016 his work was presented at Kunsthalle Deutsche Bank, Berlin, Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo, Rome, Jeu de Paume, Paris, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Previous solo shows have been held at Art in General, New York (2014), and State of Concept, Athens (2014). His work has been featured in numerous group shows including Sharjah Biennial 13: Tamawuj (2017), Colori, Castello di Rivoli and GAM, Torino (2017), Ocean of Images: New Photography 2015, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York (2015), Surround Audience: New Museum Triennial 2015, New York (2015), The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things, HOME, Manchester, UK and Lismore Castle Arts, Ireland (2015), La Biennale de Montreal (2014) and the 13th Istanbul Biennial, Turkey (2013). He was awarded the Abraaj Art Prize, Dubai (2014), the New:Vision Award, CPH:DOX Film Festival, Copenhagen (2014) and the Experimental Award at the Curtas Vila do Conde - International Film Festival, Portugal (2015).

Artist of the YearBasim Magdy is Deutsche Bank’s seventh “Artist of the Year”. The award goes to contemporary artists who have created a substantial body of work, and focuses on artistic positions that deal with social themes.

An Apology to a Love Story that Crashed into a Whale, 201664 C-Prints on Fujiflex Metallic Paper

EVENTS

Artist in conversationThursday 13 April, 6.30–7.30pm, free

Join Basim Magdy and curator Lucy Badrocke to hear more about the ideas and themes in the exhibition. A recording will be available online following the event.

We Are Family with BEEFSaturday 29 April, 1–4pm, free, drop in

Artists Vicky Smith and Marcy Saude from BEEF (Bristol Expanded and Experimental Film) invite families to make film collages inspired by Basim Magdy. Draw on, dye and scratch 16mm film to create your own abstract animations and watch your short film loops projected onto the wall.

Family StorytellingThursday 18 May, 10.30–11.30am, free but places are limited, book your place to avoid disappointment

Storytellers will amaze you, make you giggle and provide a morning of fun for under 5s.

Basim Magdy Film ScreeningThursday 18 May, 6.30–8pm, £6/£4 concs

A selection of further films by Basim Magdy, introduced by critic, broadcaster and programmer Tara Judah.

Late: Afro-metropolis LiveFriday 26 May 6–9pm, £8, followed by afterparty in the café bar til late

Join Come the Revolution and friends in the creation of Afro-metropolis, a futuristic funkadelic new city busting out from the old. Through live sound mixing, spoken word and prose we will create the soul of the city, and arrive at its manifesto. Carousel around the Arnolfini starting in the auditorium with a Afrofuturist visionary mash, join in the jams and discussion in the gallery spaces, before ending in the night on a fantastic head nodding foot stomping voyage in the Café Bar.

Bring Your Baby Exhibition Tour Tuesday 6 June, 10.30–11.30am, £3 per adult

A special gallery tour designed for parents and carers to explore the exhibition in an environment that welcomes babies.

Photography PolicyYou are welcome to photograph any work in this exhibition. Please share your thoughts about the exhibition via Facebook or Twitter: #dearbasim @basim.magdy @ArnolfiniArts

BookshopIn the bookshop you can find a selection of publications for sale that relate to the current exhibition.

AccessWe aim to make all visitors welcome.There are parking spaces for people with disabilities outside our main entrance, access via Farr’s Lane. Our galleries are wheelchair accessible.

Stay in TouchTo join our free mailing list please speak to a member of staff at the Box Office or visit arnolfini.org.uk. You can also follow Arnolfini on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @ArnolfiniArts.

Large print versions of this guide are available at the Box OfficeExhibition spaces open: Tuesday to Sunday and Bank Holidays, 11am – 6pm, Wednesdays 11am – 8pm. Admission to the exhibition spaces is free.

Arnolfini 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QAarnolfini.org.uk / @ArnolfiniArts

Supported by

Basim Magdy is Deutsche Bank’s “Artist of the Year” 2016. The exhibition is organised in cooperation with Deutsche Bank and had its premiere at Deutsche Bank KunstHalle, Berlin.

Arnolfini is a registered charity no. 311504.

They Come In Threes Like Fireworks, 2011Watercolor, Spray Paint and Collage on Paper