Cultivating Curating

Cultivating Curating is a knowledge exchange project between art organisers and curators in Egypt and the Nordics to invigorate peer-to-peer learning, elaborating on and discussing the need for further educational efforts to “cultivate” curating.

Carried out in collaboration with Something Else, Darb1718, Ard Art Institution, CuratorLab, The Swedish Curators’ Association, Index – The Swedish Contemporary Art Foundation, SITE Zones and more. Alongside an advisory board with professional curators from both regions.

In February 2025, Cultivating Curating organises a three-day public program with talks and conversations within the Something Else 2025 Symposium in Cairo. The program discusses ways of curating and organising art for the public and scrutinises traditions, positions, educational foundations and prevailing frameworks within the field. Supported by the Nordic Culture Fund, Globus Opstart +

11.02 TUESDAY, 6-8:30 PM at Darb1718 (old Cairo)
12.02 WEDNESDAY, 6-8:30 PM at Ard Art Institution (Garden City)
13.02 THURSDAY, 6-8:30 PM at Darb1718 (old Cairo)

Public talks and conversations on curatorial practice within art in Egypt and the Nordics. The program is part of an exchange project for professionals to invigorate peer-to-peer learning and make visible the need for further educational efforts within curating to support younger generations. Made with the economic support from the Nordic Culture Fund.

TUESDAY 11.02, 6-8:30 PM @ Darb1718 (Old Cairo)

● Welcome note, 10 min
Independent curators Farida Youssef and Sara Rossling introduce Cultivating Curating and its members shortly.

● Conversation between Moataz Nasr and Power Ekroth, 45 min
Moataz Nasr, artist and director of Darb1718 and Something Else, and Power Ekroth, independent curator and critic, discuss Moataz’s experiences running large art events in Cairo and the significance of collaborating internationally.

10 min break

● Talk by Power Ekroth, 20 min
When National Identity Becomes an Economic and Political Tool for the Arts
Cul­tural her­itage/iden­tity may not share the same na­tional bor­ders of a coun­try or a region, but is im­ple­mented as such – would it make sense to re­de­fine the ter­mi­nol­ogy of cul­tural iden­tity? Ekroth will share her experiences with working with projects branded as “Nordic”.

● Conversation between Hana Elbeblawy and Farah Hallaba, 45 min
Collaborative Approaches to Knowledge Production
Hana Elbeblawy, founding director of ARD Art Institution and Farah Hallaba, social anthropologist and curator, will discuss their insights and the importance of collaboration between artists, curators, and communities. Reflecting on the intersection between research, anthropological inquiry and curatorial practices.

● Closing discussion and questions from the audience
Moderated by Farida Youssef and Sara Rossling.

WEDNESDAY 12.02, 6-8:30PM @ ARD Art Institution (Garden City)

● Welcome note, 10 min
Hana El Beblawy, director of ARD and Power Ekroth independent curator and critic, introduces the evening.

● Presentation by The Swedish Curators’ Association 15 min (online)
Jonatan Habib Engqvist, chair of the Swedish Curators’ Association will talk about their work of gathering independent actors, how to be relevant to curators with different backgrounds and the significance of representing and advocating the field of curating in public.

● Talk by Giovana Esposito Yussif, 15 min (online)
Museum of Impossible Forms: Cultivating anticolonial futures in the Nordic Region
Giovana Esposito Yussif, artistic director of the Museum of Impossible Forms (MIF), will talk about how it serves as a dynamic cultural centre in East Helsinki, dedicated to fostering anticolonial, anti-patriarchal, and non-fascist practices and futures. Over the years, MIF has provided a platform for experimental, marginal, and migrant expressions, acting as a laboratory for critical thought and radical imagination.

10 min break

● Talk by Shady Elnoshokaty 40 min
Educational Curation (The Creative Experience Between Art and Educational Practices)
Artist, educational curator, and associate professor Shady Elnoshokaty will talk about general concepts of Educational Curation as a new creative practice merging art education and art practice.

● Closing discussion and questions from the audience
Moderated by Hana El Beblawy and Power Ekroth.

THURSDAY 13.02, 6-8:30 PM @ Darb1718 (Old Cairo)

● Welcome note, 10 min
Ola Seif, curator of Photography and Cinema Collections at AUC Library, together with Martí Manen , director of Index – The Swedish Contemporary Art Foundation and director of CuratorLab, the curatorial course at Konstfack University in Stockholm, introduces the evening.

● Talk by Martí Manen, 20 min
Testing the Curatorial
Martí Manen, director of Index and programme director, CuratorLab, Konstfack, will talk about curatorial learning and experimentation in Sweden.

● Talk by Ola Seif, 20 min
A background about the Absence of curatorial studies in Egypt
Ola Seif, curator of Photography and Cinema Collections at the Special Collections Library will discuss the absence of curatorial programs in Egypt and potential practical approaches to bridge the gap and create a feasible implementable collaborative vision.

10 min break

● Talk by Toka Qataya, 30 min
Collaborative Curation and Artistic Boards in Arts and Culture Institutions
Toka Qatay, deputy director Jesuit Cultural Center, Alexandria, will talk about empowering youths through art and culture and the role of social media and cultural exchange within younger generations.

● Conversation between Sara Rossling and Farida Youssef, 30 min
The Decolonial as Practice for Internal Negotiation
Farida Youssef, independent curator and critic and Sara Rossling, independent curator and writer, discuss their approaches and thoughts on decoloniality and decolonization as curators and within the knowledge exchange project قيمين صناعة Cultivating Curating.

● Closing discussion and questions from the audience.
Moderated by Ola Seif and Marti Manen.