Rafik Greiss. The City and the City

In 1962, Chris Marker posed the question: “We don’t remember.” The exhibition by Rafik Greiss at the KW Institute for Contemporary Art explores this absence of memory through a commissioned film and black-and-white photographs. The artist, born in 1997 in Egypt, presents here his first institutional exhibition, inviting the viewer to a careful contemplation of suspended expectations in vast deserts. Fragments of emptied places, detached from their context, are juxtaposed with the image of a persistent wait. The work oscillates between analog and digital, suggesting an echo of the past and a possible premonition. Emma Enderby and Liberty Adrien have designed a presentation that prioritizes sensory experience and personal reflection, leaving the visitor with the feeling of an unsatisfied thirst, more than a clear narrative. This exhibition is remarkable for its poetic exploration of time and memory, and for the integration of works already exhibited in prestigious institutions. It testifies to ambitious and innovative artistic work.