Ashraf Reda
Egypt
www.ar.com.eg
ar@ar.com.eg
Artist's Statement
I was delighted to hear about CARAVAN 2013’s theme – in
peace and with compassion – and was even more excited
about the choice of the symbol: “Donkey”.
The Donkey is very popular in Egypt, and is part of the
day-to-day lives of many Egyptians in rural areas. The
Donkey is also a prominent figure of the Egyptian
culture, and even its arts. It was mentioned in numerous
movies, songs and poetry as well, such as one of Ahmed
Shawky’s poems. Moreover, many masterpieces of fine
arts, such as famous Egyptian paintings and sculptures,
portray Donkeys. Novelists were fond of Donkeys as well,
with the great example of Tawfik Al Hakim’s novel; “حمار
الحكيم” (Homar Al Hakim). The Donkey was also mentioned
in the Holy Quran, as well as the Bible, in which a
Donkey was part of the journey of the Holy Family.
Hence, the Donkey is a symbol that is closely tied to
Egypt’s arts and history, and is – in fact – a common
factor bridging between Muslims and Christians.
In my artwork, I reflected my new art direction,
“Egyptian Abstract”, onto the Donkey, using icons from
the cosmopolitan culture of Egypt, which inherits a lot
from the Pharaonic, Greek-Roman, Coptic, Islamic,
Mediterranean, African and Arabian cultures altogether.
Using Arabic calligraphy in an abstract composition, the
words “سلام” (peace) and “رحمة” (compassion) appear on
the life size sculpture in colors inspired by Egypt. On
the smaller sculpture, the design concept remains
unchanged, and the calligraphy reads:
“لم ندر كيف إلى التسامى نهتدى، والأقوياء على الضعاف
تجبروا”
(Never with exaltation shall we speak, so long as the
strong overpower the weak)
The statue reflects abstract design elements inspired by
Nubian and Bedouin art. The choice of the black color
was made to match the weakness of the Donkey.
Nevertheless, we must always hope for a bright forward:
in peace and with compassion...
Big Donkey:
34,500LE (US$5,000.00)
Small Donkey:
10,000LE (US$1,450.00)
sold
To
enquire about purchasing a painting, please
contact email:
info@oncaravan.org
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