The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Zamalek's Gezirah Art Center is currently hosting its annual summer collection, which serves as a showcase the creations of young Egyptian artists and art students all over Cairo.  

Residing within the beautiful historical mansion that is Prince Amr Ibrahim Palace, Gezirah Art Centre is a work of art in itself and surely stands out as a unique landmark; with its Neo-Ottoman architecture style and its scenic tranquil garden decorated with stone and metal sculptures dating from the early 1900s.    

Within Gezira Art Center’s three halls – named Ahmed Sabry, Ragheb Ayyad and Al Hussein Fawzi –  sit a colourful, imaginative and inspiring collection of artwork.

The Ahmed Sabry Hall contained a colourful collection of mosaics, collages, drawings and paintings by children as young as eight years-old.  Further in, university student, Nada Al Ramly, displays a beautiful piece showing a boat floating on calm water, portraying a calm essence through pastel colours and delicate brush strokes.

Being the largest among the halls, the Ragheb Ayyad Hall offers the most variety in the exhibition, displaying pieces by art students. The first piece is by Hesham Abdel Fattah, portraying an elegant looking couple sitting together on a stool with a slightly urban background and sea view. The piece is painted in romantic tones of dark reds and browns and in a highly sophisticated style that demonstrates both the student’s skill and passion for the arts. 

A series of wooden collages were both imaginative and pleasing to the eye and it was nice to see many sculpture pieces within the exhibition, which added more diversity to the collection.  A particularly alluring piece was the ceramic vase, by Anis Gamel, with its obscure form and colours that could almost resemble underwater caves.

The Al Hussein Fawzi Hall holds perhaps the most traditional pieces, featuring a collection of Islamic and Christian paintings along with Pharonic paintings, all of which are narrative and involve a rich cultural approach. One particular piece by art student Mennatallah Ashraf, captures Picasso’s refined style which was delightful to contemplate.  

Overall, Gezirah Art Center’s summer exhibition is a festive event with many students attending with their families. It was truly inspiring to witness the children’s talents which exceeded our expectations displaying an impressive collaboration in terms of presentation, skill and hard work.