Two Middle Eastern galleries to show at FIAC

Seher Shah, Untitled (bridge), 2015, cast iron, 18.4 x 10.3 x 38 cm, Ed of 2. Courtesy of Artist and Green Art Gallery, Dubai

Two Middle Eastern galleries are part of the 40 new participators at FIAC for the 2017 edition. The 44th edition of the renowned international contemporary art fair will take place in October in Paris’ Grand Palais will host 192 modern and contemporary art galleries—six more than 2016—hailing from 29 countries.

From Dubai, Green Art Gallery, will be exhibiting works by Kamrooz Aram and Seher Shah. This is an interesting pairing as Shah revolves her practice around architectural structures and Aram, primarily a painter, takes his cue from architectural forms but is also interested in questioning the medium of paint. Both visually and conceptually, architecture plays a central role and the presentation at FIAC, France’s leading art fair, will pair Aram's new series of paintings with Shah's recent cast iron sculptures.

This year’s Lafayette Sector for international galleries that nurture the work of emerging artists will bring together 10 galleries from eight countries showing a specific project featuring one or two artists. Included in this line up is Gypsum Gallery from Cairo. This space has risen to prominence in recent years with a strong and brave programme that gives much needed voice to the region.

Film still from The Everyday Ritual of Solitude Hatching Monkeys by Basim Magdy. Courtesy of the artist and Gypsum Gallery

For FIAC, the gallery will show Basim Magdy’s short film The Everyday Ritual of Solitude Hatching Monkeys along with a newly commissioned photographic piece that he is currently making. The 13-minute film is based on a short story written by Magdy’s (Magdy El-Gohary) and tells the story of a man who moves away from the sea to escape death by water but finds himself alone as others head to the beach. The conversation running over the luscious images is about his isolation and the absurdity is reminiscent of TS Eliot’s The Wasteland, of which certain lines are quoted. His work reflects on the failure of society to progress.

It is good to see these galleries in strong company, with the fair bringing diverse art from all over the world and also the reintroduction of design with the participation of five galleries.

• FIAC International Art Fair runs from October 19-22, 2017 at Le Grand Palais, Paris