Egyptian artist Wael Darwesh’s latest exhibition, “The Prank”, deals with existential questions about the meaning of life and our eternal quest for happiness. Through his colourful paintings the artist expresses his belief that rather than waiting for religion or society to give us answers or signals to move ahead, each of us must take the responsibility of giving meaning to our own lives, making our dreams come true and living every moment passionately and sincerely.
This message is eloquently conveyed in “A Red Telephone”, where a long queue of people is seen waiting around a red phone with many wires connected to it. In the background the artist has painted a city in the sky with several ladders leading up to it.
“The many wires of the phone represent the many dreams we have. We are all waiting for the phone to ring for us — for that one call which we hope will pave the way for us to climb the ladder towards a new world that exists in our imagination,” Darwesh says.
The old-fashioned red phone, typically seen in government offices in Cairo, also appears in “The Prank” as a symbol of “connection” — with a higher being and with oneself. The painting depicts a group of people desperately reaching out for a row of red telephones.
“I have created a golden glow around the phones and telephone wires to emphasise the importance of searching for a connection. These figures can see the phones, but they cannot reach them. This constant struggle between dreaming of something and obtaining it, this duality, which makes us smile and cry at the same time is the irony of our lives. This is the prank that life plays on us, and that we play on life,” he says.
The artist further explores this idea in “Secret Message”, where the arrangement of rows of golden birds represents a coded message. “The meaning of life is like this coded message, which keeps changing as the birds move. In my painting there is a person who is desperately climbing a ladder to reach this message and decipher it, but he fails over and over again.
“Our search for the meaning of life is like this man’s futile efforts to grasp this secret message. The other person in my painting looks inwards rather than at the birds. He is much closer to the message because rather than trying to decode the mysteries of our existence, he just feels them and understands them with his heart, while continuing to move ahead in his life,” Darwesh says.
The artist expresses his own joy at finding this inner balance in his life in “Pink Dream”, a painting that celebrates his harmonious relationship with his wife. And he illustrates his philosophy of life in “Continuous Dance”, where people are seen dancing to a symphony played by the hands of an unseen maestro.
“Whether we are happy or sad, it is all eventually just a joke, because we are merely puppets playing our role in the continuous dance of life,” he says.
Jyoti Kalsi is an arts enthusiast based in Dubai.
“The Prank” will run at Art Sawa, DIFC until April 16.
7 Princesses
The latest show at The Empty Quarter gallery, “7 Princesses”, celebrates the lives and achievements of modern Emirati women through photographs taken by renowned photographer Steve McCurry.
The award-winning photographer is well-known for his powerful portraits, including the famous image of an Afghan girl that appeared on the cover of National Geographic magazine. He was invited to photograph over 20 inspirational Emirati women from all walks of life, and representing each of the seven Emirates that make up the UAE. These included members of the royal families, businesswomen, influential government officers, a pilot, a doctor, a champion horse rider, a special needs educator, and a homemaker.
McCurry’s photographs capture the strong personalities of these women as well as the elegance of their traditional garments and jewellery, subtly conveying the fact that these women have a modern outlook and attitude, yet remain rooted in their ancient heritage and culture.
By shooting in different areas of all seven Emirates, he has also focused on various aspects of the Emirati culture, traditions, landscapes and ways of life. The women can be seen posing with camels in the desert, with a falcon by the beach, atop a mountain, in a dhow-building yard, at a construction site, in malls, in the magnificent Sheikh Zayed Mosque, and on top of a skyscraper with the Burj Khalifa and the lights of Dubai shining in the background.
The project is the brainchild of Safa Al Hamed, managing partner of The Empty Quarter. “The objective behind ‘7 Princesses’ is to actively build bridges between the UAE and international cultures, presenting a unique and avant-garde point of view regarding the role of Emirati women within society and their international influences. We wanted to include women achievers from all strata of society, and to showcase all the seven Emirates.
“I see the UAE as a queen with the seven Emirates being her daughters, and all these inspirational women are the grand-daughters. We plan to take this exhibition to various cities around the globe, so that people can know about the real UAE and the women, who are playing a significant role in our society. We are delighted to collaborate with McCurry on this project because he has his own unique way of telling stories and bringing images alive,” Al Hamed says.
McCurry is happy with the opportunity to get to know the UAE and the people better. “I tried to evoke the past in my images because I wanted to talk about these women in the context of their culture and location. I hope this project will help to break down stereotypes, showing people that despite cultural differences, women here are like women anywhere else in the world, and they are contributing in every field,” he says.
The show will run at The Empty Quarter, DIFC until April 16.
