Ahmed Badry (Egypt) artistic practice focuses on his interest in the collective visual memory. His work is an attempt to make everyday visual stimuli – from traffic signs to branding logo – his own, thus revealing the function and influence of these signs. His subjects are often very small but omnipresent in local everyday routines and are at the same time of great functional importance. What he attempts to do through his work is to transform, say the cheapest bus ticket of Cairo, into a large-scale painting that allows this common-place item to take on a new importance and weight. He does not only blow up the size of these things, but also sometimes multiplies pictures to give them a new essence. By using pictorial everyday signs to construct a personal pictorial language he highlights their function and influence on our lives.
Badry’s solo exhibitions include Made in China with Anastasia Katsidis (Kasko-Basel, Switzerland, 2009) and Al Qahira (Cairo Atelier, Cairo, 2007). He has participated in recent group exhibitions such as Why Not? (Palace of Arts, Cairo, 2010); an exhibition at Darat al Funun (curated by Wael Shawky, Jordan); The 20th Youth Salon (Palace of Arts, Cairo, 2009); Basic Motion (The Townhouse Gallery, Cairo, 2009); The 19th Youth Salon (Cairo, 2009); and 100mm (Artspace Artellewa, 2009).
Born in Egypt in 1979, Ahmed graduated in 2003 from the Helwan University, Faculty of Art Education, Cairo. He lives and works in Cairo and Zurich.
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