Exhibitions

Mucem, Marseille (FR) 8 February 2023 - 8 May 2023
Bozar, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels (BE) 30 SEPTEMBER 2022 - 8 JANUARY 2023

Alexandria: Past Futures

The Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations (Mucem) in Marseille, in collaboration with Bozar Brussels and the Royal Museum of Mariemont, presents Alexandria: Past Futures from February 8 to May 8, 2023, an original exhibition that re-examines the ancient megalopolis at the height of its history. No less than 200 works of art are on display. Alongside such prestigious institutions as the Louvre, the Allard Pierson Museum (Amsterdam), the Museo Egizio (Turin) and the Museo Archeologico di Napoli, to name but a few, the Fondation Gandur pour l’Art has loaned six artworks, including the majestic bronze equestrian statue of Alexander the Great and a jar with motifs of sphinges, the god Bes as well as Udjat eyes.

CuratorS: Edwin Nasr, Sarah Rifky, Arnaud Quertinmont and Nicolas Amoroso

Alexandria, the "dream that became a city", continues to fire the imagination. But, like some sort of historical puzzle, the city presents itself to us in fragments. By offering a new way of looking at Alexandria, far from the myth and stereotypes, the exhibition highlights through archaeological objects and contemporary works of art the cultural influence of this megalopolis which, between the 4th century BC and the 4th century AD, was the vibrant heart of the ancient world.

Combining two approaches in a diachronic logic, history on the one hand and contemporary artistic creation on the other. The exhibition is nourished by critical and poetic associations, highlighted by an ambitious scenography. Forays into other eras - Byzantine, Arab and modern - allow for a broader understanding of the city through history and enrich the themes addressed.

Alexandria: Past Futures emphasises a typically Alexandrian concept, that of "cultural bilingualism": hybrid creations with elements from Greek and Egyptian traditions, which in antiquity constituted a bridge between cultures.

After a first show at the Bozar in Brussels from September 30, 2022, to January 8, 2023, the exhibition will be presented at the Mucem from February 8 to May 8, 2023.