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

Evident in the numerous exhibitions throught the city in 2013, Cairo’s arts and culture scene has evolved dramatically over the centuries. Celebrating the work of seventeen influential Egyptian artists, Safar Khan’s exhibition, ‘With the Pioneers’, is a diverse collection of expressionist pieces.

Displayed over two floors of the quaint gallery, the collections are muddled into one another, and the lack of available information left us guessing as to which artist produced which piece.

Many of the pieces, however, were clearly signed by the artists, notably the late Ragheb Ayad; a prominent, internationally recognised figure in the early development of modern Egyptian expressionism. Capturing the essence of rural and city life in Egypt, Ayad uses mixed media and multiple techniques to portray his observations. His piece, ‘The Dancing Horse and Musicians of Upper Egypt’, is a vibrant illustration of traditional wedding jubilations in desert villages. With the same observational stance, his ‘Nude From the Back’ portrait portrays the natural form of a naked, voluptuous woman.

Another interesting compilation was produced by Inji Efflatoun, a painter and women’s rights activist. ‘Collecting Eggplant’, ‘Two Fellahas with Baby’, ‘Trees’ and ‘In the Field’ are small, colourful oil paintings layered on glass, giving a unique 3 dimensional effect. Incorporating typical Egyptian figures and practices, short paint strokes and a diverse palette of shades, the paintings are both attention-grabbing and distinguished from some of the other, more pedestrian pieces.        

Other pieces included Zohra Efflatoun’s ‘La Blanchisseuse’, or ‘The Washer-woman’; a simple depiction of a crouching lady, hand-washing a pile of dirty garments in a tub. Mohamed Ismail’s ‘Metamorphosis’ is a seemingly messy assemblage of thick black paint strokes, but on closer inspection, several figures are etched out, creating their white outlines. One of our favourite pieces was ‘Al Qahera Fe Alf 3am’, a joint effort from Salah Abdel Kerim and Salah Jahin; the line-up of visually playful and brightly coloured caricatures presents an insight into the assorted, sometimes eccentric personalities present in Egyptian society. Although there’s no obvious correlation with societal issues, Omar El Nagdy also uses bright colours in his piece ‘The One’ to capture the viewer’s attention.

Work from Edham Wanly, Effat Naghi, El Hussein Fawzi, Emy Nemr, Hamed Abdullah, Omar El-Nagdi, Shaaban Zaki, Yousseff Sida, Gazebia Serry, Salah Taher, Zeinab Abdel Hamid and Farouk Hosni are also on show.

Overall, ‘With the Pioneers’ is an eclectic, absorbing collection of art from an array of esteemed local artists, portraying society and people as they find them. The majority of the pieces are self-explanatory, however, the sever lack of information, titles and even artist names made jumping from one contrasting piece to the next, slightly confusing.