Opening Reception 12 April 2016 6 to 9 pm Exhibition 12 April - 3 May 2016
By Fatenn Mostafa
ArtTalks is proud to present Renée, the third solo exhibition by Guirguis Lotfy at the gallery. In Renée, Guirguis honors his muse and lifetime companion. And when Guirguis is with Renée, nothing else matters. It is not far fetched to draw the analogy that Guirguis Lotfy is to Egyptian visual arts what Salah Jahin (1930-1986) is to Egyptian poetry. Both celebrate Egypt’s cultural fabric while not shying away from its shortcomings. Tirelessly, Lotfy depicts our feasts, celebrations, rituals and traditions - some still practiced today, others long forgotten. Pharaonic, Islamic or Coptic, his stunning canvases offer a personal take on these little moments of bonding and shared history or on some trivial and mundane scenes with ordinary people.
I thank my God that I was born in the land of Mystery, That I have grown in the shade of Palm-trees... That I have lived in the arms of the Desert, Great Keeper of Secrets... That I have drunk deep of age-old Nile.
Egyptian author Doria Shafik (1908-1975)
Describing his artistic process as literally looking out his window and painting what he sees, Lotfy shows an indefatigable commitment to his muse and attempts to bring forth both her beauty and contradictions. As he captures the essence of our Egyptian-ness, he reminds us that neither religion nor ideology can tear us apart. Don’t let yourself be fooled by the apparent simplicity and naivety of his crowded paintings! Guirguis Lotfy seeks to resuscitate an elaborate ancient Egyptian painting technique practiced two millennia ago in religious iconography and the famed Fayoum Portraits. By using bee wax or tempera colors dissolved in egg yolk with some gold leaf, Lotfy ensures the transmission of Coptic art - an identity, rather than a religion.
Together, Guirguis and Renée bring the past into today to provide answers for a better tomorrow. And like a storyteller, every detail is recollected, nostalgically pinching us in the heart as we feel the innocence and familiarity of those moments. Lovers, husbands, wives, children, carriages, donkeys, the fresca man, the porter, the fortune teller, the musician, the café, watermelons, Ramadan and Alexandria, all ‘reveal the light that comes from people, much like saints were once portrayed in ancient paintings’. All look up in the sky towards infinity, like a calm prayer and give us a cherished snapshot of the world we live in; of the country we are so attached to and of the people we belong to. For Lotfy, Renée is Egypt. She is one and many. She is yesterday, today and tomorrow. She is his most haunting and conditional muse and he intends on making them both eternal. Born in 1955, Guirguis Lotfy lives and works in Alexandria, Egypt. After receiving a BFA from Alexandria Faculty of Fine Arts in 1980, Lotfy went on to pursue his MFA on “Coptic painting from the 4th to the 8th Century” in 1990 and his PhD on “Coptic Art and its influence on Modern Art” in 1994 from the Cairo Faculty of Fine Arts. Hamed Owais (1919-2011) and Hamed Nada (1924-1990), two of Egypt’s modern pioneer artists, were closely involved at different stages in the supervision of Guirguis Lotfy’s masters and doctorate degrees respectively.
BIO Born 1955 Works and lives in Alexandria, Egypt
E D U C AT I O N 1980 B.Sc. Fine arts, Alexandria university 1986 Diploma in fine arts, Helwan university Cairo 1986 Masters degree philosophy of arts, Helwan university 1991 PhD, Philosophy of arts, Helwan University
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS 2014 ArtTalks | Egypt. Love Affair. 2013 ArtTalks | Egypt. Heya Di Masr Ya Abla. 2004 French Cultural Center, Alexandria, “Les Mémoires de Guirguis” 2002 Alexandria Center of Art , “Dala fa wagad” 2001 Cairo Atelier “The Storm” 1999 The Museum of Fine Arts, Cairo, “The Storm” 1998 The Spanish Cultural Center 1997 Hanager, Zamalek Art Center, “El Mouled” 1996 Meniat al Nasr “The Wooden Horse” 1992 The Faculty of Fine Arts, Zamalek, Cairo. 1991 Kandil Hall 1989 St Marc “Horreya” 1989 Faculty of Fine Arts, Zamalek, Cairo. Guirguis Lotfy’s Portrait by modern painter Mostafa Kamel (1917-1982)
Abayan Zein / Fortune Teller 2015 Tempera, natural oxides, gold leaf on treated wood 120 x 80 cm
Fi Intizar Madfa3 el Iftar/ Waiting for the Fast Break 2015 Oil, gold leaf on canvas 120 x 70 cm
Farah fi Shar3a / Wedding in the Street 2015 Tempera, natural oxides, gold leaf on treated wood 152 x 152 cm
Om w Tefl / Mother and Child 2015 Oil, gold leaf on canvas 70 x 50 cm
Om w Atfal / Mother and Children 2015 Oil, gold leaf on canvas 70 x 50 cm
El Saif / Summertime 2015 Tempera, natural oxides, gold leaf on treated wood 152 x 152 cm
El Leil Lama Khely / When The Night Ends 2015 Tempera, natural oxides, gold leaf on canvas 120 x 68 cm
El La Nehaya / Infinity 2015 Tempera, natural oxides, gold leaf on canvas 120 x 68 cm
Mazad el Batikh / Watermelon Bid 2015 Tempera, natural oxides, gold leaf on treated wood 121 x 121 cm
El Soubou3 / The Kabsa Legend 2015 Oil, gold leaf on canvas 118 x 67 cm
Hadikat el Hayawan / The Zoo 2015 Tempera, natural oxides, gold leaf on treated wood 190 x 80 cm
El Mouled 2015
Tempera, natural oxides, gold leaf on treated wood 120 x 240 cm
Fakk el Sahr / To End the Spell 2015 Tempera, natural oxides, gold leaf on treated wood 63 x 56 cm
El Bawwab / The Porter 2015 Tempera, natural oxides, gold leaf on treated wood 63 x 56 cm
Catalogue Published on the occasion of the show Guirguis Lotfy Renée معك ال أريد شيئ ًا 12 April - 3 May 2016 ArtTalks | Egypt Graphic Concept & Realization Omar Mobarek Texts Fatenn Mostafa Coordinator Cherine Chafik Lisa Lounis Aynour Zeitoun Suzan Rashed Photographs Lisa Lounis Paul Lotfi Printing Concorde Press
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