SCREENINGS SHOWCASE CONTEMPORARY ART

By: Nour Hassan

‘Art:21’ is a project that showcases contemporary art through multiple short film screenings and is a semester-long venture that is presented by the Department of the Arts.

The Art:21 film screenings project presents a compilation of short-format documentaries in a six season series entitled ‘Art in the Twenty-First Century.’ Of all six seasons, only four will be presented at AUC.

Shady Neshokaty, visual arts Professor who is responsible for introducing the screenings in cooperation with the Visual Arts Club (VA), said that the films portray the creative process, techniques and concepts of a rich selection of established artists around the world. He added that each film provides the audience with a fresh perspective on what art is capable of.

“Art:21 is one example of a public event that can generate genuine communal interest in art, especially at [AUC],” said Neshokaty.

According to the event’s Facebook description, concepts explored throughout the four seasons that were selected for the screening include pop culture, politics, ethnic heritage, deeply personal experiences and surrealistic expressions.

“As a community, we do not place enough emphasis on the value of art, AUCians would benefit from seeing how real artists present their work in an accessible manner to a widespread audience,” said Caroline Elias, vice president of VA.

She hopes that Art:21 will help elevate AUCians appreciation for art, and more importantly encourage students to pursue artistically based careers in the future.

“It is time to expose the students within our community to the infinite and metamorphic world of contemporary art,” said Neshokaty.

Reem El Maghraby, a freshman student intending to declare in visual arts, said that the films have aided in providing her with new ideas, different viewpoints and introducing her to the boundless possibilities of artistic creation.

Also, Maghraby hopes that more students from other majors will attend the screenings during this semester. In her opinion, the films are successful in capturing the importance of having art within a community.

So far, nine screenings have been shown on campus. They are displayed at the AUC Center For The Arts every Wednesday and Thursday during assembly hour.