New Dutch Views, a contemplative photographic series by Marwan Bassiouni, is coming to Hull from April to June. The ongoing photographic project offers vantages from the interiors of Dutch mosques.
New Dutch Views #33, The Netherlands, 2021. From the series New Dutch Views 2 (2018–2019)
Marwan Bassiouni began to produce New Dutch Views while studying at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague in 2018. This ongoing photography series documents the Dutch landscape from the inside of mosques in the Netherlands. The artist travelled to rural, coastal and metropolitan areas across the country, searching for prayer rooms with views of the local environment.
New Dutch Views #06, The Netherlands, 2018. From the series New Dutch Views (2018–2019)
Rather than creating a visual study of contemporary Islamic architecture, Bassiouni suggests a different way of looking at Islam in the West. By placing the viewer inside the mosques, on a prayer rug and facing a window, the series provides a contemplative visual experience, encountered through the artist’s symbolic approach to documentary photography.
New Dutch Views #02, The Netherlands, 2018. From the series New Dutch Views (2018–2019)
In 2019, the results of the project were presented in an exhibition at the Hague Museum of Photography and in the book New Dutch Views. Two years later, Bassiouni began to extend the series, making adjustments to his photographic approach. New Dutch Views is an ongoing project that now counts more than 50 photographs.
New Dutch Views #12, The Netherlands, 2018. From the series New Dutch Views (2018–2019)
Launching on 08 April from 6-8 pm, 87 Gallery presents a selection of images ranging from early photographs to Bassiouni’s most recent work. These images will be displayed as a floor to ceiling projection that moves slowly from setting to setting, presenting visitors with alternative perspectives.
For more information about the exhibition and 87 Gallery check out www.87gallery.co.uk and via Instagram: @WeAreAt87
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