Figures by Sobhy Guirguis (Photo: Ahram)
In a spacious apartment in Zamalek, Sobhy Guirguis' artwork breathes and talks to the visitors. The sculptures are but figurative variations symbolising man, his pains and sorrows. They mirror the side of humanity that is spontaneous and innocent, almost childlike.
Just like Guirguis himself, the sculptures seek eternal salvation, inclining towards isolation. Equally, the artist quietly withdraws himself only to taunt life. Continuously wandering around the working class, with its exaggerated proportions and surreal style, each sculpture resembles us as humans.
The collection includes a number of the artist's works marking the beginning of his artistic journey. It consists mostly of Guirguis' older sculptures in copper and those in bronze created between 1950 and 1960.
A couple of sculptures in bronze are characterized by their thin bodies filled with thorns. They try to escape from the others, to enjoy the peace and serenity. A little further, a man with open arms is surrounded by a circle, almost chained to the old bicycle wheel.
The bronze sculptures allow the artist to express variation of form in the human body. In this series the surface is less polished than usual yet full of details as body retains traces of suffering. It is here that Guirguis highlights his own pain and the one of all mankind, recalling how his beginnings as a sculptor were far from being a bed of roses.
Among equally captivating pieces are portraits, in one of which a man and a woman reveal the spontaneous aspect of Guirguis. With their eyes wide open, the faces are reminiscent of Coptic icons from Fayoum.
Return of Karim Francis
Organised by Karim Francis, the display allows Guirguis to recapture his own world in which man had been crushed by the routine. The exhibition provides a captivating recollection of one of Egypt's most accomplished artists.
However it also marks return of Karim Francis' activities as exhibition curator. For many years preceding the January 2011 revolution, Karim Francis Contemporary Art was located in at 1, El Sharifeen street, one of Cairo's oldest independent exhibition spaces.
"Due to its location in downtown, my space was always directly affected by the political events. I wanted to re-launch and accepted a friend's offer to do it in his Zamalek apartment," Francis explains his move to Zamalek, adding that depending on the circumstances, within two weeks, Sobhy Guirguis' collection will be taken either to another apartment on the third floor of the same building, or to the gallery directly.
"My main target is audience. Until 2006, I held several events, many outside gallery spaces, always opting to attract the viewers to the artworks, hoping to narrow the distance between the artwork and the public. At the moment, my eyes are on La Bodega cafe in Zamalek, which always has a large number of paintings on the walls, and notes about the artists distributed on the tables. I am ready to transform the space into a proper exhibition room," Francis explains.
The curator's further plans include celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the Karim Francis gallery. "To accentuate the return, in 2015 I plan to hold three exhibitions dedicated to sculptors Mohamad Radwan, Abdel-Badie Abdel-Hay and Adam Henein. Also I hope to hold displays of works by the photographer Nabil Boutros and painter Hamed Abdallah."
Sculptures by Sobhy Guirguis are on display between 1 and 15 November in a space located at 34 Al-Gezira, Zamalek. Opening hours: daily, between 12pm and 8pm (except Fridays)
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