Country on a canvas

Ahmed portrays a subtle comedic angle to his work London - Arabstoday Ahmed Kassim is a young contemporary artist who brings a subtle sense of humour to his work. An intricately woven web of details orders the chaotic world around him. The viewer is engaged trying to decipher characters, codes and symbols scattered around the canvas. Kassim portrays current Egyptian society with bold status symbols. Money signifies corruption; a giant television churns out news questioning the credible use of information. A batch of loaves signifies the every day Egyptian, and batons and riot police symbolise the state, which is always watching to root out dissidents. A large red throne denotes the President, who has gained absolute power and become a monarch rather than a democratically elected ruler of the people. The exhibition runs from February 5 - 22 2013 at the Safar Khan Gallery, Cairo.