Seaside Shadows
Solo exhibition by Egyptian documentary photographer Bassam Ihab
30 November - 22 December 2022
The Photographic Gallery in the department of Journalism and Mass Communication organized Seaside Shadows, a solo exhibition by Egyptian documentary photographer Bassam Ihab
What does photography set on the beach conjure up in our imagination? Pleasant memories depicting relaxing, fun, socializing and most obviously holidays. In the project Seaside Shadows, Ihab takes us on a somewhat different visual exploration of life alongside the Corniche in Alexandria.
The exhibition features stark black and white photographs enhanced by contrast and shadow, as Ihab presents us a dramatized vision of beach life in Alexandria and Marsa Matrouh. In many ways the art of photography can be described as transforming the everyday and the photographer captures his subjects in absurd, if not odd poses in spontaneous compositions to turn the quotidian into works of art. Some images take a voyeuristic vantage point showing the humorous side of Egyptian life and fascinating ways people behave on the beach. Seaside Shadows makes us rethink these social spaces differently with fresh eyes and appreciate the potential of documentary photography to see the world anew.
Curated by Dina ElDeeb
Bassam Ihab, born in Al-Buhaira, Egypt in 1995, is a documentary photographer, currently based in Cairo. Ihab founded Egypt Street Photography Club (E.S.P.C.), a popular Facebook group dedicated to giving exposure to Egyptian photographers, and is a member of the African Photojournalism Database (APJD). He participated in multiple international photography competitions, among them Hamdan International Photography Award (HIPA) in which he was a finalist in 2017, and Addis Foto Fest (AFF) in 2018. His work has been exhibited in Egypt, U.S.A., Germany, Switzerland, Ethiopia, Ukraine, and Greece.