Darb 1718 is pleased to announce the opening of its second edition of the ‘Something Else’, an Off-Biennale group show, starting from 1 November and running for 45 days.
The show is curated by Simon Nijami, with artistic direction from Egyptian visual artist and cultural activist Moataz Nasreldin, and will include over 90 artists from Egypt and around the world.
Over 100 local and international artists will present works at the ‘Something Else-Off Biennale’ art festival, taking place at Darb 1718, and other venues across Cairo.
This year’s theme in entitled, “What if it did not happen?” will include works that imagine a different world, if history took another path.
The list of international artists includes seven curators who worked with a selection of international artists, including Egyptian artist Yara Mekawei. Among the invited artists are 23 from Egypt. The artworks will be at Darb 1718, and other venues in downtown Cairo.
Three different openings will take place three days in a row at the festival’s various venues. on 1 November the opening will take place at Darb 1718, followed by an opening night at 6 Nabarawy street, and 29 Hoda Shaarawy street on November 2. The final opening will be on 3 November at 42 Abdel Khalek Tharwat.
Alongside the visual art exhibition, this year’s programme will present over 10 international and Egyptian performances, including two from Egypt, Aysha by Dalia Kholeif, who premiered at D-CAF earlier this year, and a playback theatre performance by the Dawar Troupe.
Film lovers can expect motion picture screenings from different corners of the world, which will be displayed at Darb 1718, as well as several partner culture institutions such as the Balassi Institute, and the Goethe Institute.
Similar to the previous edition of ‘Something Else’, a series of talks by lecturers, art experts, as well as artists will create a conducive environment for discussions and critical thinking. Attendees can also join one of the festival’s workshops, ranging from art discourses, practices, and more.
Darb 1718 is an alive and modern contemporary art space complete with two contemporary art galleries, two live performance stages, a large outdoor cinema, workshop areas, a roof lounge, and artist-in-residence studio and living space. By forming strong ties with local craftsmen; young Egyptian artists, intellectuals, and activists; and the rest of the world, Darb 1718 is maintaining a space founded on an otherwise unheard of artistic heritage, yet in stride with rapidly changing technologies and media—firmly building a network along the currents of change sweeping the world, and putting young Egyptian artists at the forefront, according to Darb 1718’s website.