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Gamal Al Sagini Exhibition at Zamalek Art Gallery

Zamalek Art Gallery: Gamal Al Sagini Exhibition

reviewed by
Jessica Noble
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Zamalek Art Gallery: Gamal Al Sagini Exhibition
Zamalek Art Gallery, on the popular Brazil Street, is displaying several sculptures created by the late, award-winning artist, Gamal Al Sagini. Not knowing much about the history behind his work, and with a lack of information available for each individual piece, we were pleased to discover a short film, narrated by his son, explaining a bit about his father’s work.

Gamal Al Sagini was very nationalistic and incredibly passionate about his home country, Egypt – and its people. Having been born in 1917 and dying aged 60 in 1977, Sagini lived through, and was inspired by, many historical events. His sculptures are generally large and abstract, made out of bronze, portraying many messages in the intricate detailing.
In 1969, when Gamal Al Sagini felt
he was not getting enough recognition for his work, he threw some of his work into the Nile as an act of
rebellion, claiming that
if people cared, they would stop him. This certainly got him noticed and we’re glad not all of his work was swept away.

The events of the Suez crisis in 1956 are represented by a tall, thin sculpture titled ‘Port Said’, completed in 1957. The front of this sculpture is a tall man wearing a traditional, long galabeya brandishing a gun above his head to signify the brutality of the war. There are also a number of descending parachutes in the sky above him to represent those used by soldiers involved in the conflict. Using the entire 3D model as canvas in itself, Sagini used the rear side of the sculpture to further depict the Israeli attack on Egypt, with the Star of David prominent amongst other emotive illustrations. An eagle-headed man stands at the base of the statue, with his arms outstretched signifying the freedom and power of the Egyptian land.
Another significant sculpture was one dedicated to the internationally recognised Egyptian singer, Om Kalthoum. It’s a beautiful and detailed statue that was obviously created with a lot of care. Her body is made up of chunky triangles etched with Aztec patterns, glinting with the shine from the bronze. Her importance and popularity was prominent throughout Sagini’s life and we assume that this, and her meaningful music, led to the sculpting of her almost shrine-like piece. Although we didn’t immediately recognise this piece as Om Kalthoum, once we did it made sense that, judging by Sagini’s patriotism, he would admire such a strong and iconic woman.
There are also numerous other sculptures on show, with significant stories behind each one. For example, a sculpture of a mother and baby entwined symbolises the gift of motherhood and the importance of nurture. His piece named ‘The Nile’ personifies the river into a wise, old bearded man, giving it a mythical feel.

Because little information on his sculptures is offered at the exhibition, Sagini’s work requires visitors to carry out their own research. We’re glad we did as it helped to uncover an eye-opening, opinionated and interesting history, confirming that each piece was an important outlet of expression for Gamal El Sagini himself. 

360 Tip

A bit of background reading always helps – we discovered that Sagini created a copper picture of his grave, surrounded by all the things he stood for in his lifetime and reflected his hopes for a more positive future for Egypt.

Best Bit

The meaningful detail in the sculptures.

Worst Bit

The lack of information on each piece – even the video was in Arabic, with no subtitles, making it difficult for us English folk to follow.

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