Submerged City raises awareness of rising sea levels and their threat to coastal communities around the world, including Venice and the Egyptian Nile Delta. It consists of a series of Polaroid photographs taken of landmarks around the island. These images were then submerged for up to two months in containers filled with water collected from the Nile Delta and the Egyptian Mediterranean, dried, scanned and enlarged. The length of time each Polaroid was kept submerged corresponds to the elevation of the depicted landmark and, by extension, its vulnerability to rising waters. Liberated from the instant and precise nature of conventional photography, the ’decayed’ results of this aleatory process invite us to contemplate the impermanence of the human-built environment and our own relationship with nature.
Youssef ElNahas is an Egyptian artist based in the UK. With a background in history and archaeology, his work with the lens, on the page, and in the archive is driven by a need to document the world around and within him. Inspired by Mediterranean landscapes and historical narratives, recurring themes in his practice include identity and immigration, dialogues between the past and the present, and exploration of human interactions with nature.
Opening:
19.09.2025 | 19:30
Opening hours:
Tuesday–Thurdsay | 10:00–18:00
Friday | 12:00–20:00
Saturday–Sunday | 12:00–17:00
Gallery of Modern Art Leon Wyczółkowski District Museum in Bydgoszcz