Barry Iverson worked as a photojournalist for Time magazine for a quarter of a century, covering events that forever changed the Middle East including the assassination of Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat, humanitarian emergencies, and the aftershocks of 9/11. And although he was born American, Iverson’s life has been one clear ode to Egypt, where he has lived, written, and photographed for decades.
“The Tour” is heavily influenced by images from classic Cairo cinema, antique postcards, and the photographer’s extensive archive of 19th and 20th century photographs. Iverson considers this series to be “documentary fiction,” an interestingly contradictory term typically reserved for films that reinvent and retell the story of the past by inserting fictional characters into a bygone era.
Iverson authored a biography on legendary Armenian-Egyptian photographer Van Leo, who in his heyday was a go-to artist for mid 20th century studio portraits of actresses, celebrities, and public figures. Leo’s influence is evident in “The Tour,” which uses modern digital technology to superimpose classic portraits into contemporary Egyptian street scenes.
Iverson’s work romanticizes the exotic, Orientalist vision of the region (which has perhaps been overdone and over-commercialized by a multitude of Western artists), but by juxtaposing the old and the new, Iverson invites viewers to consider how Egypt’s infrastructure and culture have changed over the past century. Indeed, it’s easy to get lost in a fantasy of what every day Egyptians like the fully veiled women from the 1880s (in The View from Gawhara Palace) make of the hazy skyline of 1980s Cairo, or what the fedora-clad gentleman with a well-kept mustache might be on his way to buy in the dusty market. The solo show is well placed at Kuwait’s Sultan Gallery, which has been encouraging debate and discussion on topics of contemporary Arab art and culture for more than forty years.
“The Tour” runs through June 12th at Sultan Gallery in Kuwait.
By Danna Lorch
