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| Rana ElNemr |
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| Born in 1974 in Hanover, Germany, Rana ElNemr lives and works in Cairo, Egypt. ElNemr's photographic series explore the social and economic effects of living in a megalopolis, specifically that of Cairo. Through chosen subjects and spaces within the city she documents the rapid changes currently happening in the development of the urban physical structure through social interventions and shifts in class and its perception. Her work The Metro, begun in 2003, focuses on the self-selected grouping of people who happen to gather together through their use of the underground system in Cairo. In The Balcony Series, also begun in 2003 and ongoing, ElNemr photographs the balconies that stand out for their painterly decoration against the backdrop of monotonous gray concrete hi-rises. These domestic, artistic interventions act as statements of individuality and El Nemr exhibits just the images of the balconies to present a celebration of the few positive voices that appear from within the masses. One of these re-compositions, Colors of the Gray, won the Bronze Award of the 'Canon Digital Creators Contest' in December 2003. The more recent series Coastline documents the sequence of entrance gates to private summerhouses and resorts that have sprung up along the northern coast of Egypt – along the Mediterranean from Agamy to Alamein – mostly since the beginning of the 90s. The eclectic architectural designs and village/resort names, function as a vehicle for the statement of a desired socio-economic position, rendered illusory with the knowledge that the gates are often designed by a separate architect to secure sales before the village/resort is complete. The endless combinations of individual architectural & aesthetic elements indicate a continuous aspiration for a solid and unique identity, that comprises many diverse historical, cultural, religious, social and economic realities. The outcome of these trial combinations prove how challenging it is, to symbolise, and to create one unique and strong entity. Rana ElNemr studied at the American University in Cairo. She has participated in exhibitions in Egypt, Beirut, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Finland and the US, these include Metro at Cairo's Townhouse Gallery of Contemporary Art, Coastline, in ‘Gallery Image’ in Aarhaus, Denmark and Telekinesis as part of Lumo -‘Us’ 7th International Photography Triennial in Finland. In 2003, ElNemr won awards from the Canon Digital Creators Contest in Japan and in 2005, she received the Grand Prix of the Bamako Biennale. In 2007 she was nominated for the 'Paul Huf Young Photographer of the Year Award'. ElNemr works with The Third Line, Dubai. |
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