Continuing her Not reconciled series where she investigates the construction of subjectivity, history and identity in countries and cultures around the world, Judith Barry presents videos and photographs at Rosamund Felsen Gallery from her latest series, ...Cairo stories. Through collaboration with Cairene women from many different backgrounds, these stories focus on the negotiations women make across Cairo’s social, cultural and economic life and illuminate the complex systems, allegiances and political stratas that inform their daily lives. These interviews, conducted in Cairo between 2003 and 2011, took place in both English and Arabic, as do the stories on view in the gallery.
In exploring the experiences of Cairene women - Cairo being the center of the Middle East - notions of representation, history, and subjectivity are brought to the fore. These stories, retold by actors, underscore the fact that all stories, even ones we tell ourselves, are ultimately fictions, while maintaining the emotional impact of each of these individual woman’s life.
Three of her works are also currently on view as part of the Hammer Museum’s exhibition Take It Or Leave It: Institution, Image, Ideology through May 18, 2014.