Ahmed Ghoneimy 2017/18

The work of filmmaker Ahmed Ghoneimy engages with the multifarious forms of human interaction and the resultant dependencies and tension and is set against the backdrop of Egypt’s firmly established, traditional patriarchy. In his films, Ghoneimy examines the specific power structures and idiosyncratic, daily rituals which are adhered to by people when they meet — fathers and sons, friends and enemies, the so-called winners and losers of society. He often uses scenes drawn from his own memories and re-enacts them with the help of amateur actors, aggressors (Bahari, 2011) and friends (The Cave, 2013). His films take no heed of a narrative arc culminating in a dramatic climax, but rather follow associations alternating between fiction and documentary.

Ghoneimy’s presentation at Künstlerhaus Bethanien includes video loops, each projected on a screen. In quiet, haunting images, the films investigate rituals and behaviours. The artist uses several stylistic devices in order to explore different spaces; some of them are distant and seemingly neutral, while others are male-dominated. Both realms are equally encountered in everyday life. The situations which are shown shift from amusement and the feeling of security, till at moments this comfort is disrupted: in everyday life, violence, hatred and injury are just as present in human interactions as safety and happiness.

Exhibition at Künstlerhaus Bethanien:

19 January to 11 February 2018
Opening 18 January 2018, 7pm

Kottbusser Straße 10
10999 Berlin