Drawing upon mythology, cult iconography and shamanistic rituals, Hany Armanious' sprawling installations conjure up a world of alchemy and ectoplasm- a wunderkammer of curiosities that also represents a humorous jibe at the art world machine. At first glance Armanious' installations appear as a collection of odd souvenirs and kitsch memorabilia- in fact they are one off die-casts. In his exhibition Seflok at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, the artist conjured up a magician's workshop, where ideas of creationism, cosmetics and the cosmos are analogous.
Read MoreGrowing up in Ismahlia, Egypt, the now Australian-based artists showed an early aptitude for pulling things apart and remodeling them. This circular process can be thought of as a metaphor for his work. Taking the image of the potters wheel, the oldest symbol of human civilization, the artist places the act of creation at the center of his practice.
Armanious studied at the City Art Institution in Sydney and has exhibited extensively, including at the Govett-Brewster in New Plymouth, New Zealand, Sarah Cottier Gallery in Sydney and Thomas Taubert Gallery in Dusseldorf.
