Separated by a River: Investigating the Structures of the 2019-2020 Cairene Art World

Abstract

This thesis investigates the post-2011 dynamics in Cairo’s contemporary art world, asking: in which ways do the dominant forces in the Cairene art world function as of 2019 and 2020? The study circles on two communities – the commercial private gallery scene in the Zamalek district and the independent art spaces on the East bank of the Nile, analyzing them through the lens of Howard Becker’s art worlds theory (1982). These two communities are historical competitors, have different audiences, and enjoy recognition in separate circles. The private galleries are popular among the Egyptian state and upper-class elite, while the independent art spaces are well-established in Cairene intellectual circles and the Euro-American contemporary art world. The study is based on ethnographic fieldwork in Cairo in 2019 and 2020, using qualitative interviews and participant observation, as well as discourse analysis. The findings suggest that a visible polarity exists between the commercial private gallery scene and the independent art spaces. This polarity is geographical, political, and aesthetical, and it materializes in the movements' textual production and texts written about them by art critics and scholars. However, their perceived differences have become less black-and-white after 2011, as economic restructuring and criminalization of foreign funding have made all actors in the Cairene art world readjust their practices to stay relevant and survive financially. Still, both art worlds engage in an authenticity debate that influences what gets exhibited by the leading galleries and art spaces, affecting the working conditions and ambitions of Cairo-based artists.