Rana El Nemr Explained

Rana El Nemr (also Rana Elnemr, Egyptian, born 1974 in Hanover, Germany) is a visual artist based in Cairo, Egypt.^[1] Working primarily in photography, she has undertaken explorations of contemporary Egyptian urban life, including Cairo's architectural features, public/private spaces, middle-class identity, and the larger urban environment. Her artistic practice moves from formalist explorations of photography as a medium to genre-bending visual essays of her surroundings in Egypt. Her practice is anchored in questioning what it means to live and experience place and time, through recording, describing, and reflecting on this experience via photography, film, texts and conversations. El Nemr's artistic process incorporates formal image-making techniques with contemporary artistic practices, and it strives to integrate various forms of collaborations in different constellations, such as trans-disciplinary collaborations and alternative pedagogical practices among many others.^[2] She is a co-founder of the Contemporary Image Collective (CIC), an institution founded in 2004 in Downtown Cairo, whose programming includes lectures, screenings, and workshops that explore the changing role of photography in contemporary visual culture.^[3] El Nemr remains an active board member of CiC.^[4]

Education and career

El Nemr studied photojournalism, advertising, and arts at the American University, Cairo. She has exhibited internationally, including in Lebanon, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Finland, and the United States. One of El Nemr's noted series, The Metro, from 2003, presents women in traditional and non-tradition clothing in the Cairo subway, compositionally framed by the structure of the train cars.^[5]

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

• 2015: Assembled in Streams of Synonyms, Sharjah Art Gallery, The American University in Cairo, Egypt^[6]
• 2017: a chapter of synonyms, Beirut Art Center, Beirut, Lebanon^[7]
• 2024: Engrams of a Lunar Calendar, Studio Takhshina, Cairo, Egypt^[8]

Group exhibitions

• 2005: Grand Prix, Bamako Encounters–African Biennale of Photography, Bamako, Mali
• 2005: PhotoCairo 3, Cairo, Egypt^[9]
• 2008: Figure/Ground: 4 Women and their Surroundings, The Third Line, Dubai^[10]
• 2013: Cross-border: Contemporary Female Artists from the Arabian Mediterranean Region, ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, Germany^[11]
• 2013: She Who Tells A Story: Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab World, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA^[12]
• 2015: She Who Tells A Story: Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab World, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA, USA^[13]
• 2019: She Who Tells A Story: Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab World, Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill, NC, USA^[14]
• 2022: Currency: 8th Triennial of Photography, Hamburg, Germany^[15]
• 2023: Kayfa Ta, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, India^[16]

Bibliography

• Aly, Doa (2017). Condemned to Depth: Invisible Architecture in Rana El Nemr's Streams of Synonyms. Ibraaz.

1. News: She Who Tells a Story: Rana El Nemr. 2016-05-02. Broad Strokes: The National Museum of Women in the Arts' Blog. 2017-03-04. en-US.
2. Web site: Rana Elnemr AUC School of Humanities and Social Sciences . 2023-12-22 . huss.aucegypt.edu . en.
3. Web site: History & Mission: Contemporary Image Collective . March 4, 2017.
4. Book: Gresh, Kristen . She Who Tells A Story . MFA Publications, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
5. Saccoccia. Susan. 2013. In Their Eyes. The Boston Banner, Boston, MA. 49. .
6. Web site: Rana El NemrAssembled in Streams of Synonyms - e-flux Education . 2023-12-22 . www.e-flux.com . en.
7. Web site: Rana Elnemr: the dictionary of imaginary places • Beirut Art Center . 2023-12-22 . beirutartcenter.org . en-US.
8. Web site: artist rana elnemr رنا النمر - also often spelled rana el nemr, rana el-nemr, rana el-nimr and other variations . 2023-12-22 . rana elnemr . en-US.
9. Web site: Rana El Nemr - 2. PhotoCairo 3 . 2023-12-22 . universes.art . en.
10. Web site: Figure/Ground: 4 Women and their Surroundings . 2023-12-22 . Artist Pension Trust.
11. Web site: Cross-Border 2013 ZKM . 2023-12-22 . zkm.de . en.
12. News: Islamic World Through Women's Eyes. Goldberg. Vicki. December 27, 2013. The New York Times. March 4, 2017.
13. Web site: She Who Tells a Story: Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab World . 2023-12-22 . Carnegie Museum of Art . en-US.
14. Web site: She Who Tells a Story: Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab World . 2023-12-22 . Ackland Art Museum . en-US.
15. Web site: artist rana elnemr رنا النمر - also often spelled rana el nemr, rana el-nemr, rana el-nimr and other variations . 2023-12-22 . rana elnemr . en-US.
16. Web site: artist rana elnemr رنا النمر - also often spelled rana el nemr, rana el-nemr, rana el-nimr and other variations . 2023-12-22 . rana elnemr . en-US.