Cocatography
It is a term created by the artist from the merge of Coca-Cola and Cartography. It is explained by the geography of Coca-Cola as a metaphor for the influences of multinational companies and major economies in contemporary geography. The works in this exhibition were produced with the help of workers in the popular industrial field in Egypt, which does not recognize all kinds of intellectual property rights. In the production and reproduction of international brands, the exhibition produces new & familiar terms, makes projections based on global brands and criticizes the capitalist system. So, the artist used the same means through which trademarks are produced, reproduced and stolen.
Nothing is more limpid than maps...
A map provides you with a miniature drawing of an area of the earth, small or large, whether it is a city or a country, or perhaps its dimension extends to include the whole world. The globe is in your hands on the surface of this carefully drawn little patch, with a specific scale: land, seas, rivers, heights of mountains, plateaus and valleys, all precisely defined. Could these zigzag lines, angles, and expanses of blue water on the map hide something other than what we see?
Mohamed Al-Masry latest artistic production is dominantly characterized by research and investigation combined with his sarcastic and critical approach to diverse local and international issues. "Cocatography " is a term that does not really exist, expressing the dual path in which these works have been handled. This invented term that the artist has taken on as the title of his exhibition reflects the blending of maps and brands, or in other words the transnational capital.
These artworks represent an episode in an extended series, which is an adventure that the artist undertakes, similar to his previous encounters, in the context of his search for the silenced facts, or for these hidden details that make-up an image.
The interpolated markers here highlight different dimensions of the maps; Dimensions shaped by economic interests and transcontinental companies, and by the borderless and gate-less consumer products. His maps combine ideas and symbols from around the world, including known symbols and other symbols and terms that he artist invented and coined on the map, following the same steps and methods that the industrial product follows in its journey to reach the consumer.
The signs, icons and graphics that we see here have been added to the map by means of embroidery machines, which is a method for weaving the trademark on the product used by major clothing companies, and it is also used in Egypt as a way to breach the property of these trademarks, and using pirated design programs. This endeavor by artist to counterfeit the trademark carries an implicit recognition of the power of this Brand and its ability to control. He draws our attention at the same time to the unspoken secrets and truths of the consumer production process, just like the maps.
The relationship between maps, capitalist economy, and post-colonial politics are key pointers that Muhammad al-Masri relied on in shaping these spaces. Before us is a set of reprocessed old maps that the artist collected from different places. These maps, some of which date back to the beginnings of the last century, shed light, in part, on the changes in the political borders of countries. We will find here names and blocs that do not exist now a days, disappearing and appearing countries and others that expand or shrink its borders. The inserted additions to the map space draw attention even further, indicating what latitude and longitude are in store, to these hidden stories that make up this world of insatiable consumption, power, possession and control. These additions aim to draw attention on how cultures extend their arms beyond their boundaries by means of symbolism. It is another type of colonialism and domination practiced this time by institutions and companies that have no other objective but their own profit.
The world seems to be governed by the symbols and terminology that we deal with maybe without analyzing it and the impact of this ability. The symbol here might be a trademark, a traditional image of a movie or animation superhero, or even a game. The tools of the New Hegemony shape the world's capabilities, communicate with each other, defend its interests, and enact laws for greater access, penetration, infiltration and domination.
The artworks are not limited to the presented visual image, as we said, but rather overpass it to include the stages of its creation. The steps taken by the artist in order to reach this stage all constitute the features of the artwork. The journey to reach this image with its successes and pitfalls is part of this artistic project that is in our hands, which invites us to search for what is behind the image or scene we see it with our eyes.
Yasser Sultan
October 23, 2020.
