Hena aarayes betettrass (Here are Dolls in Row)++, a theme of a popular folk
song, is the title of a current exhibition at the Salah Taher gallery in the Cairo
Opera House grounds by the artist Samaa Yehia. The show runs until 16 January.
Artworks on display include 35 drawings on ++khayameya++ (tent making
fabrics), as well as a collection of wooden carved dolls inlaid of metallic and
various materials taken from the environment.
With her passion for heritage, Yehia chose ++khayameya++ to create her folkloric
depictions using not just paint, but also sand and ceramic powder to enrich the
surface; the end result is that the paintings appear as though sculpted. She also did
not use the traditional frame of paintings, but she preferred to keep the
khayameya’s original frame made of linen cloth.
In abstract and expressionist formations, her subjects include the typical peasant
woman with her headscarf ornamented with beads and spangles, and her large
golden earrings.
Born in 1967, Yehia holds a PhD degree in art. She has won several international
awards.
Watani International
10 January 2017