Basim Magdy, Every Subtle Gesture, 2012-ongoing. a series of color prints on Fuji Crystal Archive paper and letterpress silver text. 45 × 52 each cm. Commissioned by SeMA Biennale Mediacity Seoul 2014. Courtesy of the artist and artSümer, Istanbul. SeMA Biennale Mediacity Seoul 2014 Ghosts, Spies, and Grandmothers. Seoul Museum of Art. 2014
Part of a large collection of photographs that Magdy has been developing for several years, is Every Subtle Gesture, 2012. The images appear to be a form of documentation or a specialized archive, but in fact they are all disparate snapshots of some kind of fragment, and that seems to be the only strand binding them together. The phrase accompanying each snapshot encapsulates it as a surreal moment or part of an imaginary tale. The series as a whole follows no discernable narrative or plot, but the little clues Magdy offers beckon the viewer to turn this ambiguity into a magical story of their own. [Mai Abu ElDahab]
