WATANI International
26 September 2010
Masterpieces VIII
For the eighth consecutive year, the Zamalek Art Gallery in Cairo is holding its Masterpieces exhibition. Masterpieces VIII showcases an exclusive collection of paintings and sculptures by some of Egypt’s most prominent artists. Among the exhibitors are Abdel-Rahman al-Nachar, Farghali Abdel-Hafiz, Gazbia Sirry, Hamed Owaiss, Mohamed Abla, Mustafa Abdel-Moeti, Gamal Abdel-Nasser and Emad Ibrahim. This year’s exhibition is showing a number of paintings by Kamel Mustafa (1917 – 1982). Masterpieces is an opportunity to show works of art representing the older school as well as current trends on the contemporary art scene in Egypt. The exhibition runs till the end of September.
Retrospective
The months of July, August and September have been seeing at the Safar Khan art gallery in Cairo a retrospective collection of modern and contemporary Egyptian artists representing the art scene of the last 50 years. The Sarkis Tossoonian bronze sculptures on show evoke a sense of elegance, grace and texture; Alfons Louis’s meticulously engraved woodens and granites are of figures and items from the past. The sculptor Mustafa al-Razzaz’s work emphasises the symbiotic relationship between the Nile and its fishermen, with the use of mythical philosophy. Katherine Bakhoum’s pastels evoke a sense of nostalgia while mastering the use of colour and motif. The young Marwa Adel’s photography and computer graphic designs blend calligraphy and people, resulting in a unique and strong composition. Among the works on display are promising modern paintings of human figures outlined in thousands of tiny Swarovski diamonds and tireless multi layered canvases is proof of a coming generation of modern art in Egypt.
Egyptian-Italian art
The governor of Qalyubiya, Adly Hussein, recently inaugurated an exhibition at the Suzanne Mubarak Art Gallery for cultural heritage in the town of Toukh. The exhibition, held earlier this month, showed some 40 paintings by Egyptian and Italian artists, each expressing a modern vision of his or her own environment. The exhibition was on the agenda of the cultural and artistic exchange between Egypt and Italy, and revealed how far art evolution had moved to separate the realistic from abstract. Installations by the new generations of artists in both countries were also on show.
Glamour of Islamic Cairo
Cairo residents are able to view the historical and archaeological landmarks of Cairo through some 20 paintings by the artist Mohammed al-Nasser. His show, Islamic Cairo, is being held at Cordoba art gallery in Mohandessin, Cairo. Nasser depicts the al-Azhar, Qalawoun, and Sultan Barqouq mosques of Old Cairo, as well as the Metwalli gate (the Bab Zuweila) using his fanoua impressionist style. The picture shows one of his works.
“Ramadan in Cairo”
The different ways of passing one’s time during the holy month were shown in “Ramadan in Cairo”, a photography exhibition hosted by the Saad Zaghloul Cultural Centre, Cairo, earlier this month. The photographs captured various scenes: children playing in the street before sunset or attentively learning the principles of Islam in a mosque; an old man, satisfaction in his eyes, sipping a cup of dark tea after having broken his fast at sunset; and performances of Sufi dancers beautifully captured as they spin, seemingly indefintely. Taking part in the exhibition were amateur photographers who attended seven free workshops run by the Tayeba association, in collaboration with the Saad Zaghloul Cultural Centre.