Adel Al Sewi - Egypt
Nationality
: Egyptian.
Date of Birth
: 1952.
While paintingMakkah I was not preoccupiedwith thematerial aspects of the city or its civilian planning or construction or nature. On the other hand, I was basically occupied with the city’s sacred features. Through these works I tried to expose the blend of sacredness with oneness by concentrating on a single spot that occupies a central position in painting. And I believe that this represents a special feature of all the cities that I dealt with. While painting these three paintings I tried to give the city’s architectural appearance only a secondary importance, being part of its sacred center or a faint echo of the sacred spot. In the sacred cities, the focus will not be political and communal or historical centers but each one of them rotates around its religious heart. Undoubtedly Makkah and Madinah are lslamic cities as they embrace spirituality in its absolute form. But Jerusalem is a special case. It is a sacred site for three major divine religions, and a site for a long and historical conflict. But, I selected the sacred lslamic city of Madinah in order to provide a single concept for all the three works. I decided not to treat these sacred sites as icons that can be easily shortened, but depended only on simplifying the architectural structure in order to reduce its material exposure, may be I wanted to show the symbolic value of the sacred places that every believer keeps in his/her mind. It is a dream for every believer to visit these holy places. After providing care to the holy structures, my attention focused on the role of human beings and their continuous movement around these holy places. As symbols of unity, I am sure that these sacred mosques can help the faithful overcome their differences. So, I have tried to highlight the divine connection and assembling of humans around these sacred places. I have also envisioned that by their presence at these holy sites they complete the picture of the mashhad, the large gathering of men and women in the hereafter. Here again lies the value of the holy Haj rituals that represent the eternal linkage of humans since time immemorial. These rituals that are held at specific times offer tremendous contributions in terms of strengthening human bonds and promoting world peace and stability. Here we see the faithful totally preoccupied with spirituality and engaged in rituals that are different from daily activities. The city in these works brings together individuals who appear like wandering points but forcefully seek the center of its spiritual entity. These peoplemove with yearning toward their spiritual support and for that purpose they conduct a spiritual and physical journey, which is distinguished from other journeys.
Education
: Faculty of Medicine, CairoUniversity (Private study), and Faculty of Fine Arts.
: • Al-Azhar Garden, Cairo. • Benali of Venice. • Museum of Modern Arts, New Delhi. • Foreign artists, Italy. • Translation and presentation of Leonardo Da Vinci’s theory of painting.
Artistic Activities
: • Mashrabiya Exhibition, Cairo. • Art Show, Cairo. • Arab Canvas, the UAE, 2003. • Atassi Gallery, Damascus. • Ajyal Gallery, Beirut. • Ammar Farahat Gallery, Tunis. • Papiry Gallery, Berlin. • Koreuber Gallery, Berlin.
Exhibitions
70
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