Paying Homage to the Days of Glory

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Thu, 12 Sep 2013 - 12:57 GMT

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Thu, 12 Sep 2013 - 12:57 GMT

Prominent Syrian painter Assad Arabi expresses his longing for Egypt’s golden years in his latest exhibition Nostalgia By Nadine El Sayed
Any Om Kolthoum fan, anyone worth being labeled a fan at least, knows the feelings that can be triggered by one of El Set’s (The Lady’s) songs. Serene and happy feelings. There is a certain allure, a certain je ne sais quoi that Om Kolthoum’s songs always manage to capture. A state best described as saltana (entranced), accompanied with a yearning for a happier and more romantic time. This is the exact entranced state of mind the audience falls into when looking at the paintings of Assad Arabi’s Nostalgia exhibition.This exhibition showcases how the contemporary painter’s style has developed over the years, from Cubism and Geometric Abstraction (an art movement where objects are broken up, analyzed and re-assembled in an abstract form) to a love for the Expressionism art movement that is all about using a more vibrant and colorful approach. Held in the regional Ayyam Gallery’s Cairo branch, the exhibition pays homage to the country’s most renowned singer. The gallery’s other branches can be found in Dubai,Damascus and Beirut.   Upon entering the gallery, the guest is greeted by Arabi’s painting of Om Kolthoum, as her songs play in the background throughout the gallery. With such a greeting, the gallery almost transports the guest to those unforgettable Thursday night concerts of El Set. With vibrating and abstract brush strokes, all of Arabi’s paintings beautifully portray Om Kolthoum’s strong voice and presence on stage. The colorful backgrounds brings her band to life, with some pieces drawing attention to the legendary composer Riyad El Sonbaty, and others with his empty chair, reminding viewers how Om Kolthoum always kept his chair empty after his death. Arabi plays with that space, introducing a reverted chair at other times to indicate the unrealism of the painting, “I add to the audience’s imagination the message that the space is moral and not real.” Arabi sees the strength of El Set in her collaborations with great composers and poets, but believes that her biggest mistake was collaborating with singer, actor and composer Mohamed Abd El Wahab. Arabi passionately argues that the Western instruments Abd El Wahab added to the music he composed for Om Kolthoum tampered with the authenticity of the Om Kolthoum band. This is why in his paintings he portrays El Sonbaty’s empty chair but doesn’t portray Abd El Wahab at all. According to the artist, Abd El Wahab doesn’t represent El Set’s golden era, only a minor bump in the legendary singer’s career. Lessa Faker  (You Still Remember) An exhibition dedicated to his muse, Nostalgia captures the essence of Om Kolthoum, her band, and the ambiance of her enchanting monthly concerts. She is featured while performing with her token silk handkerchief and her orchestra behind her. There is a special focus on the importance of her entourage, expressed in the proximity between the main figure, Om Kolthoum, and her band members, such as El Sonbaty in some paintings. But Nostalgia is more than a tribute to El Set for Arabi; it represents yearning to a bygone era of cultural renaissance in Egypt and the region. “It is a nostalgia to the beautiful age, to the time of Zeryab and Verdun,” Arabi explains passionately. “Nostalgia for an old love story, to a place we once resided.” The paintings speak of great composers, songwriters, poets, a great singer and a more cultured and tolerant audience. “The age of Om Kolthoum, Riyad Al Sonbaty, poet Ahmed Ramy and author Naguib Mahfouz was the country’s renaissance era,” Arabi explains, adding that arts were heavily supported by the late president Gamal Abd El Nasser. And as a result, all the different forms of art flourished during his reign. According to Arabi, the time of Om Kolthoum represented an era where the audience was more open to arts, a more liberal time on all fronts. “Compare the audience at an Om Kolthoum concert to today’s audience,” he says laughing.  
Painter, Musician and Philosopher Talking to Arabi is like being hit by a cultural train, leaving his listeners in awe and largely confused. Arabi jumps from one philosophical topic to the other, all the while analyzing and criticizing music, art and politics — not to mention referring to and even reciting verses from famous writers and philosophers. He speaks of musical notes with the same expertise he uses to describe the current status of art in the Arab world, the intricate political scene in the sixties and seventies and the writings of Sufi philosopher Galal El Din Al Roumy. Arabi’s rich cultural background is reflected in the complexity of his paintings. He was born in Damascus in 1941 and studied art there, followed by a PhD in Aesthetics fromSorbonneUniversity in Paris, where he currently resides. He has studied music, philosophy and fine arts and has showcased his complex pieces throughout the Arab region and other countries including Paris, London and Korea. He is an art critic, an aesthetic theorist, a professor and is considered the leading artist in Syria’s modernist period during the sixties. His work is displayed in several museums in London, Barcelona, Damascus and Paris. Drifting off into religious beliefs and philosophical findings, Arabi always finds a way to tie his three interests together. Deeply inspired by Al Roumy, the artist believes that music and art are means to understand and reach God. Nostalgia represents both his philosophical and religious beliefs; painting and music take on a form of meditation to a higher spiritual and religious level. As he explains it, “It is a yearning for God and the unity of creation.” 

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