Dubai’s Renowned Artspace Gallery Proudly Presents Egyptian Artist Adel El-Siwi
A diverse and moving exhibition of contemporary paintings, sponsored by The Bank of New York Mellon
Artspace Gallery, in association with The Bank of New York Mellon, is pleased to be showcasing an innovative selection of works by the Egyptian artist Adel El-Siwi at an exhibition taking place from 8 to 30 April 2009.
Contemporary Icons features El Siwi’s recent works should inspire individuals to reconnect with their communities and examine the relationship between the present moment and the past. On these works, Adel El-Siwi said: “I tried to touch this relation through the human face for a very long time, yes the face. Being old and recent in the same moment, now, perhaps I am haunting the same phantasm through the entire human figure.”
Commenting on The Bank of New York Mellon’s sponsorship of the exhibition, Hani Kablawi, Managing Director and Head of Middle East and Africa, said: ‘The Bank’s history of supporting leading art and cultural institutions extends over 200 years and we remain committed to contributing to the cultural life of the communities where we are located. On the first anniversary of our Dubai branch, as a DFSA registered company in the DIFC, we are pleased to be partnering with Artspace and to support this exhibition of paintings by Adel El-Siwi.’
About Adel El-Siwi
Egyptian painter Adel El-Siwi was born in Beheira Egypt in 1952. From1970 to 1976, he studied medicine at Cairo University before seriously considering a career as a painter. Like other Egyptian artists of the late 1970s, El Siwi, who had emigrated to Europe and North America, was compelled to return to the motherland, drawn by the power of Egypt's legacy of art aesthetic achievement. In 1980 he moved to Milan only to return to Cairo in 1990 where he currently lives and works.
After twelve years of self-training and traveling Europe and Egypt he had his first major show in 1985 at the Cairo Atelier. Since the 1980s he has had solo exhibitions in Egypt, Germany, Lebanon and Italy. He has participated in group exhibitions as far across the globe as Brazil and Mexico. A 1988's exhibition at the Mashrabia Gallery in Cairo marked El Siwi's transition from the human figure to the interiors cape. This new phase attempted to give the traditional still life object pride and powerful presence. His latest works have been more narrative and ironic. Pure colors pierce the tonal elements, but are restrained by the somber Egyptian landscape marked by the monochromes of the desert and the grayness of Cairo. El-Siwi chooses to use the trite, simple themes of flower pots, palm trees, camels, etc. For considerable time, El Siwi strongly believed that the more limited the means the stronger the potential of the expression. Hence, he refused to use any other medium of painting than painting on paper or canvas. However, in his most recent work in the 1997's Venice Biennale's exhibition Modernity’s & Memories: Recent Works from the Islamic World, a room installation entitled The Face and Beyond, El Siwi explores the new genre of conceptual art through painting.
Exhibition opening
A cocktail reception will be held at Artspace, located in The Gate Village, DIFC, from 6.00 pm on Wednesday 8 April 2009 under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Omar Bin Sulaiman, Governor of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Managing Director of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority.
The e-invitation is attached.
