Australian premiere of Cairo-based artist Ibrahim Ahmed explores presence, memory and identity. Amidst the Absence a Present is Felt.

Amidst the Absence, A Present is Felt is a striking, reflective exhibition that invites audiences to experience absence not as emptiness, but as a powerful presence — felt, remembered and embodied. Through sculptural forms, photographic collages, cut-out silhouettes and intricate miniatures, Ahmed entwines personal and political narratives, illuminating stories of masculinity, migration and the lingering residue of colonial histories. 

“Its absence made it more present in conversations and critiques against censorship,” says curator Miriam La Rosa, reflecting on first encountering Ahmed’s work at the Havana Biennial, where his piece was removed from display. “What began as a moment of censorship became a generative space where absence is neither defeat nor erasure, but a mode of persistence.” 

At a time when conversations around gender and power are reshaping global discourse, Ahmed’s practice reimagines masculinity in vulnerable, generous and life-affirming ways. Each work carries the weight of personal and collective histories — made visible through what’s missing. 

Presented in the heart of one of Australia’s most culturally diverse cities, the exhibition extends beyond the gallery through a dynamic public program of talks, performances, participatory workshops and critical conversations, offering multiple pathways for audiences to engage with the work and each other.