Cairo: «Gulf»
The activities of the first Arab Dahab Forum for drawing and photography, the General Authority for Culture Palaces, was launched in South Sinai Governorate in Egypt, and the forum organizes the General Authority for Culture Palaces, within the strategy of strengthening Arab cultural relations and exchanging experiences between Arab artists.
The activities of the forum included a field tour in the Monastery of Saint Catherine in the presence of Dr. Islam Al -Hawari, the general assembly of the forum, and the artists Najat Makki Saleh from the Emirates, the name of Abdul Rahman Al -Muzain from Palestine, Ola Bint Asaad bin Nimer from Saudi Arabia, Ammar Farouk Al -Nahhas from Syria, Charles Soma Al -Khoury from Lebanon, Maryam Bint Muhammad bin Abdul Karim from Amman, Kamal Al -Din Khaled Abu Halawa from Jordan, Silman from Tunisia, Murad Abdel -Lawy from Algeria, Jaber Farhan from Iraq, and Ilham Saleh Al -Mahdi from Libya.
From Egypt: Fakhri Al -Azazi, Amal Ahmed Nasr, Reda Abdel Salam, Muhammad Ghaleb Hassan, and Imad Abu Zaid.
an idea
Dr. Islam Al -Hawari said: “The idea came out of the interest of the General Authority for Culture Palaces of documenting the city of Dahab, and many regions in South Sinai, to produce works that are the nucleus to establish a museum of plastic arts documenting the various regions of Egypt with contemporary visions.
He pointed out that the Saint Catherine Monastery was chosen, within the activities of the forum as one of the most important religious and cultural monuments in the world, saying: “It is necessary that the first field rounds in this historical place to inspire Arab artists by mixing the unique geographical nature and spiritual and civilizational richness of the place.”
Vivian Al -Batanouni, Director General of the General Administration of Fine Arts, pointed out that the selection of the city of Dahab to establish the forum came because of its distinguished location in Sinai, as the eastern gate of Egypt, which gives it privacy in communicating with the Arab world, in Africa and Asia.
She explained that Dahab is a rich and inspiring environment for the establishment of artistic events, as it still maintains its original natural nature, whether in the mountains or the simple nature of the place.
She added that the project started locally, and then launched in its first Arab version from the city of Dahab, explaining that the selection of the participating artists was based on their artistic history and their distinctive fingerprint, with the aim of enhancing cultural exchange between Arab countries within the framework of the protocols signed between the Egyptian Ministry of Culture and its counterparts in the Arab world.
The participating artists expressed their happiness to participate in the forum, and their fascination in the Deir St. Catherine region, stressing that this visit will be reflected in their artwork.
Charles Khoury pointed out that this is his first artistic participation in Egypt, praising the value of artistic forums, because it allows the artist to get out of the routine and indulgence in a new environment that is reflected in the artwork, explaining that his works are closer to the new pictorial school, where he deals with the perspective and the image according to his own vision, and the contemporary artist must seek to discover more methods and experiences.
And Yallaman explained that the city of Dahab is inspiring, and opens up to the artist new horizons, explaining that her artistic style tends to contemporary and modernity while leaving a space for chance and spontaneous incidents to be part of the formation of the painting, stressing that meeting with the artists in this forum will undoubtedly leave a clear imprint on its work.
Kamal Abu Halawa pointed out that his participation in the forums in Egypt has become an annual tradition, because of its various experiences and experiences.
He said that he offers works inspired by the natural expressive school, and is keen to link to the human reality, and he hoped that the forum would come out with creations that reflect the richness of this experience.
Ammar Al -Nahhas stressed that this is his first visit to Egypt, explaining that the importance of the forum lies in being an area of cultural and artistic interaction between artists from different countries, which allows him to identify various schools and methods, and thus find new artistic topics.
Dr. Ilham Al -Ferjani expressed her happiness with participation, and the forum considered a valuable opportunity to return to the Egyptian art scene after an absence since 2010, noting that the forum represents a special case because it is the first academic forum dedicated to drawing and photography, and includes artists with firm experiences and clear imprints in their countries.
Anecdote
Dr. Imad Abu Zaid explained that the forum enhances identity and cultural affiliation. Art is a visual means capable of uniting the Arab peoples and highlighting their common civilization, pointing out that its artistic style mixes abstraction and diagnosis, relying on the symbols and visual signs inspired by folklore and ancient monuments.
Aitzaz
The Emirati actress d. Najat Makki, she is proud of participating in the forum and grateful for the warm reception and organization, confirming her pride in Egypt in which she studied fine arts until she obtained the master’s and doctorate degrees from Helwan University.
She pointed out that her artistic style tends to abstract and integrate symbols inspired by heritage and the environment, and that the presence of the forum in Dahab opens the way to quote visual elements of nature, sea and the surrounding environment.
