Video transcript
ARTEXPRESS 2023 – Body of work analysis – 01. Sabry Beshir Mohamed – Peace be with you

[intro music]

CAROL MCGILVERY: Hi. I'm Carol McGilvery, Head Teacher, CAPA, from Kincumber High School.

MELANIE CASSIN: And I'm Melanie Casson, Head Teacher, Visual Arts, from Bossley Park High School, and we're talking about a photomedia work that's been selected for ARTEXPRESS.

CAROL MCGILVERY: And this photomedia work today, Mel, it's called 'Peace Be with you'.

MELANIE CASSIN: And that straight away, Carol, really opens up, you know, a lot of layers of what this artwork could actually be about because we can see that this work is quite religious in its nature. But the title 'Peace be with you' is really inclusive to a lot of religious, I suppose, connotations, and not specifically the one that's been identified, and I find that straight away extremely interesting.

CAROL MCGILVERY: It does. The title itself does engage you immediately, and you're engaged in the cultural construct that is happening around this particular-- the subject matter, the person's identity and the evaluation of one's identity, I think, in terms of-- I'm feeling like a sense of belonging here, the evaluation of one's self in terms of connection with culture and cultural frame.

MELANIE CASSIN: Yeah.

CAROL MCGILVERY: And I can't help Mel but admire, really, the beautiful structural devices that are happening here.

MELANIE CASSIN: It's quite exquisite if we're looking at the compositional qualities. It's extremely striking. This one single piece is really powerful not because of its size, but because of the emotion that it evokes. And then we have this other piece that almost for me is representative of a journey, probably an internal journey of self-discovery, and I think that's even aside from the religious meanings that are also here that this is a personal struggle or a personal story of identifying the person, the self.

CAROL MCGILVERY: Yes, I see what--

MELANIE CASSIN: I think there could be 2 layers of meaning that could be read here.

CAROL MCGILVERY: Yeah, I see what you mean, Mel, here in terms of this wrapping. There's a wrapping component here, and it almost equates to me with nature and the idea of cocooning and then transformation. And so, we have this cocooning device happening in relationship to a very purposefully placed carpet that draws in and symbolises a particular time and place.

And so that relationship there, it asks the audience to connect, and consider, and to empathise, I suppose. For me, I'm trying to empathise, and then that empathy is drawn over into this line of narrative, and there's a really strong, for me, humanitarian sort of concept that is running through this piece.

MELANIE CASSIN: Yeah. Well, referring to the drapery and the wrapping, I think it's a real post-modern nod to Renaissance, and I see that the drapery and the wrapping is really taking into account those artist influence that the student is taking on board.

But if we go looking at this carpet you mentioned, this is exquisitely detailed-- the way that it's been photographed, the use of the studio, the use of the lighting. The student has put a lot of thought into the process of this photo shoot, and they've been really selective with the images that they've chosen to be a part of this final body of work, this final composition and final collection that they've put together.

And I think that's really shown a lot of restraint that you don't have to have a lot of photos-- that these 2 photos unpack the story and the narrative and that he wants the audience to then come on that journey with him. But it's also open to interpretation. It's what do you get from this journey as well, and how do you perceive the title, 'Peace be with you'? And it's that balancing act.

CAROL MCGILVERY: Yes.

MELANIE CASSIN: Yeah.

CAROL MCGILVERY: And there's a juxtaposition. There's almost a play on irony there with the reference to-- the cultural reference to the carpet, yet the cultural and religious reference to the title, 'Peace be with you'. So, there is that real understanding of postmodern practice, art practivce, and I'm also seeing a connection in with the practice of Hossein Valamanesh as the Australian-Iranian artist and his practice.

But also, possibly, there's a nod to Man Ray and the surrealist imagery that Man Ray constructed in the early 1900s with the wrapping there, too.

MELANIE CASSIN: The wrapping, yeah.

CAROL MCGILVERY: So, there could be that sort of referencing. But for me, Mel, definitely it's this work is setting up questions. It's setting up questions for the audience and it leaves us pondering, and it leaves us open to interpretation.

MELANIE CASSIN: So, if we talk a little bit, it's ticking a lot of boxes because you can see that the interpretive frames are really evident. But the conceptual framework's coming in with the audience and the world connections, and you just spoke really beautifully about the practice. But if we're looking at the conventions of photography, you can see that the student has spent a lot of time planning a studio shoot, and they've been purposeful with the images that they've chosen.

And this particular piece, the second piece where they've photoshopped the images on themselves to complete one composition. I mean, there's that element of traditional photography as well as digital photography really coming through in that understanding of practice-- as photomedia as a practice. So, that's why for me, conceptual framework frames and practice is really evident in this work, which is why it is such a successful and strong body of work.

CAROL MCGILVERY: Yes, Mel, I agree, and it is sophisticated in its practice, photography practice, because you can see that this student has used a telephoto lens to actually take this imagery. The lighting, the way that lighting has been set up is assured. It's informed. It is sophisticated. There's no shadow. There is a real understanding of possibly multi-layered lighting technique here.

And this image over here, too, Mel, it's been digitally enhanced in terms of it's been-- there's many shoots evident within this piece here, and purposely selected, placed together, and that gap there is quite purposeful as well in the way that this has been digitally arranged. So, it's concise. It's precise. It has a real sophistication to technique here, which pushes it into that really sort of top layer of body of work.

MELANIE CASSIN: The evolution of the figure in these 3 images here, that evolvement that's happening, it could be a rebirthing, and as I said, of a self-discovery, and then this solemn figure, looking back, this is the only one that's looking at the viewer. So, this is the element that's really bringing us in. Without this, it's quite an anonymous piece.

CAROL MCGILVERY: Yes.

MELANIE CASSIN: This is why it just keeps opening up over and over the more that you look at it.

CAROL MCGILVERY: Yeah.

MELANIE CASSIN: It's exquisite. Their understanding of studio lighting is obviously very evident, and their understanding of photography, the composition, the techniques and the conventions of photography is clearly on display in a really sophisticated way.

CAROL MCGILVERY: Yes.

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