.jpg)
Multidisciplinary artists Mina Nasr and Lamis Haggag are doing a residency at LAPA, a Brixton-based arts residency, communal, and experimental space. One of the results of their time in Johannesburg is the exhibition Navigating Irredescence at Goethe-Institut – a mythologically-laden, multimedia exploration of the connections between the sacred ibis and its lesser-loved counterparts, the hadeda. Specifically, the pair look at these birds and their cultural and mythological relevance, as well as their connection to food and agriculture. Nasr and Haggag's collective practice spans painting, drawing, interactive installation, social practices, interventions, and creative writing, and has taken them around the world.
As part of their ongoing project Cooking Sunshine, the artists have set out to discover the use of sunshine in traditional cooking to spark a conversation around its environmental relevance today. The next iteration is now evolving at LAPA where, using materials sourced from their surrounding environment, Nasr and Haggag are building a solar cooking device. Collaborating with Breezeblock Café's co-owner and chef, Mantis Shabane, they seek to revive traditional recipes and bring attention to crops and other foods available in Northern and Southern African countries, culminating in a shared meal.
"We started an artistic food project over a year ago," the duo says of Cooking Sunshine. "Our trip started in Aswan [a city in Egypt] in 2023 and recently we continued our research in Minya, Assiut, and Qena, where we visited villages and met with people from each of the cities. We exchanged conversations about food that contains sunshine in its production process and preservation. The Egyptian kitchen contains countless recipes that change from one city and village to the next, and from one household to another. But the sun stayed at the heart of lots of dishes."
"In major cities like Cairo and Alexandria, we are unfortunately unaware of the richness of the Egyptian kitchen, and we limit it to a few recipes when we define it. As the Cooking Sunshine team, we are learning every day and discovering new recipes, which we decided to document the way we perceive it, as artists, through storytelling, drawing, installation, and sharing with people."
It's wonderful that Nasr and Haggag's research has now brought them to Joburg for a localised exploration of their theme; the results are sure to be fascinating.
Join Nasr and Haggag on Sun, May 5 from 17:30 for their residency dinner and presentation at Breezeblock Café in Brixton. The event is free to attend. Book your spot here.
