Abdurabu Mohammed Saeed at CiC: Contemporary Image Collective, Cairo
Abdurabu Mohammed Saeed (Yemen/Somalia, b. 1996) is a self-taught photographer and filmmaker who has lived and worked in Cairo since 2013. He publishes videos and short films on his Youtube channel AMSN Productions.
CiC is a cultural institution with a special interest in the overlap of visual culture, artistic practice, and critical discourse. Its activities combine education and knowledge exchange, exhibitions and gatherings that allow for shared experiences of seeing, reading, listening, and talking to each other, as well as research, on and offline resources, a public library and a range of image production facilities. Based on a practice situated in the specific context of Cairo, CiC forges connections with lines of inquiry, practices, works of art, individuals, and organizations in the region and beyond.
Laila Sharif at SALT, Istanbul
Laila Sharif (Libya, b. 1971) is a multimedia artist based in Istanbul. She studied design and fine arts at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Media in Tripoli, and glass handcrafting at Scuola Del Vetro Abate Zanetti in Venice.
A not-for-profit cultural institution in public service, SALT engages in research, exhibitions, publications, web projects, conferences, and other public programs in Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey. It was founded as a post-departmentalized institution which does not prioritize any period, discipline, or object-based practice, with the aim to channel content and substance into a broader discussion. SALT explores critical and timely issues in visual and material culture and cultivates innovative programs for research and experimental thinking.
Doreen Toutikian at State of Concept, Athens
Doreen Toutikian (Lebanon, b. 1985) is a cultural entrepreneur, design researcher, university lecturer, and consultant to UN agencies. In the past ten years, she founded Beirut Design Week, MENA Design Research Center, and the non-profit organization LOOP in Athens.
Founded in 2013 by art critic and curator iLiana Fokianak, State of Concept is the first non-profit institution with a permanent location and a yearly program to operate in Greece. It is an independent platform aiming to foster appreciation for local and international contemporary art and the growth of artistic and curatorial practice. Operating as a bridge between Athens and the international contemporary art scene, its core interest is to bring to the fore artistic practices that question the current social, economic, and political phenomena of Europe and beyond.