HADY BORAEY
HEAVEN’S BACKYARD OPENING RECEPTION January 21, 2020 6 - 9 pm EXHIBITION 21 January - 6 February 2020
Hady Boraey in HEAVEN’S BACKYARD By Fatenn Mostafa, Founder
Are you ready for Chapter 4? The world of the Unknown has captured the imagination of Hady Boraey for over a decade. In his first show at the gallery in 2014, Boraey introduced us in Beyond Borders to an imaginary world of what could possibly lie beyond any border: the border of the earth, the borders of one’s land or simply, the border of one’s mind. And while the mystery of what lies beyond the borders of the universe is grand and captivating, Boraey played on the fascination and hope of many to cross the borders of their own country and go settle somewhere where the grass might look greener. For Boraey, what could lie beyond doesn’t necessarily mean more planets and stars or other forms of material, but rather, it is a symbol of the relentless pursuit of happiness and the persistence to dream of a better life. This is why his imaginary journey across the borders persists and wins. Once the border was crossed, a world of Unknown was unlocked. In 2016, we opened Hady Boraey’s second solo exhibition at the Gallery under the title Towards the Unknown. For some of us, the ‘Unknown’ is a common word that we use in our day-to-day language. For others, it is a notion, a mental picture, a mystery, a world where they live in or that they seek to escape to. Fascinating and frightening at the same time, Boraey’s unknown world transcends the visible, the real and the certainty of knowledge. It continued to be inhabited by men and women, predominantly idle and staring in different directions, in search of their free self. Torn between the wilderness and the shadow, you could find his colourful protagonists waiting at the gate or the border, under a grey cloud or a summer rain. The silence of the city awakens these migrants. As they carried the weight of the Unknown, they madly wandered, carrying their dreams, holding stones and wearing amulets. And far away from home, they had a story to tell. Once upon a time, they navigated and got lost.
In Hope is a Traveller that opened at ArtTalks in 2018, we met Boraey’s protagonists for the third time. Only then, they were dressed in white, and the prevailing colourful world witnessed before in Beyond Borders and Towards the Unknown, had disappeared, and was replaced by a more monochromatic palette of greys and blues. The birds, and the various cats and dogs were also there, with new strange creatures or companions. As we open the fourth chapter of Hady Boraey’s exploration of the unknown, we are invited into Heaven’s Backyard. His travellers may or may not have reached their final destination yet, but they are all there in full force, vibrant and full of hope. It is as though they have discovered a new horizon, or maybe even heaven, led by a path that has brightened up and allowed them to see beyond what truly exists. The struggle between reality and the ‘grass is greener out there’, between truth and illusion, between the permanent and the fleeting, takes hold of that moment, as Boraey connects it all, in that mysterious backyard. Fear and anxiety are replaced by liberation and magic, as we witness them sitting on a hammock, riding their bike or wandering on a boat, looking up towards the sky, the stars, or the divine. For a decade now, the exploration of the unknown has been a spiritual language and a highly personal enterprise for Hady Boraey. It is his attempt to explore the inner desires, to seek a new life, to open that magic door from which the border of the earth and the horizon merge or disappear forever. Thus far, there is silence and comfort. Long gone is the unkind and teasing past. Where once there was an uneasy and restless world, there is now a liberating dream. By testing the limits of the mind, Boraey stands steadfast, facing that vertigo, unafraid of the blank page, pushed by an uncontrollable craving to conquer the world and destroy the void. As a new era dawns on us, Heaven’s Backyard becomes overwhelmingly meaningful / profound and wanting. It takes over. It exhilarates. It liberates. After his highly acclaimed three solos, ArtTalks is proud to present Chapter 4 of the Alexandria-based visual artist Hady Boraey. Born in Beheira in 1984, Boraey holds a PhD (2015), an MFA (2011) and a BFA (2005) from the Faculty of Fine Arts, the University of Alexandria. He participated in over forty group exhibitions in Egypt, Italy, the UK, Switzerland and the UAE, and received the medal of appreciation from the Bibliotheca Alexandria, as well as various awards, amongst which one from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Alexandria.
Born on the 1th of January, 1984 Lives and works in Alexandria.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
E D U C AT I O N
H A DY BORAEY
BIO
2015: Ph.D. degree in Fine Arts, Faculty of fine Arts, Alexandria University, Egypt. Thesis title: Intellectual and technical aspects and its relation to Experimental concept in Illustrations in artist book 2011: Master degree in Fine Arts, Faculty of fine Arts, Alexandria University, Egypt. Thesis title: Visual Identity For Folkloric Illustration 2005: Bachelor of fine Arts, graphic Department, Faculty of fine Arts, Alexandria University, Egypt. Final Grade: Very Good with Honor. WORK EXPERIENCE • • • • •
Independent visual artist. Lecturer, graphic Department, Faculty of fine Arts, Alexandria University. Curated several kinds of activities and workshops. Working in several project, occasions with the civil society. Jury member in several art competitions.
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2019 Group exhibition, A NEW LEGACY, falls church art gallery, VA, United States of America. 2019 Group exhibition, A NEW LEGACY, Embassy of Egypt, Ottawa, Canada. 2019 International workshops, Dir el Alaa 5th edition. Amman.Jordan. 2018 SORCI EGIZIANI- group exhibition, Egyptian academy, Rome. Italy. 2018 Residency program, ART foundation, Belgium. 2018 Group exhibition, KHALIL GIBRAN. A guide for our times. Sotheby’s . London 2018 SOLO exhibition, HOPE IS A TRAVELLER, (Art Talks Egypt) Cairo 2018 CULTERAL NARRATIVES. Group exhibition. Warehouse 61. Alsarakal, Dubai 2017 Abu Dhabi ART FAIR, UAE 2016 Group exhibition, Alexandrian artists, Galerie d’art université de Ruqtr. CANADA 2016 Baltic art institution residency program – POLAND 2016 SOLO exhibition, Towards the Unknown (Art Talks Egypt) Cairo 2015 International workshop MCPA Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Bibliotheca Alexandria 2014 SOLO exhibition n, Beyond Borders (Art Talks Egypt) Cairo 2014 published at (Kaleidoscopes) foundation, Paris FRANCE 2013 Group exhibition PRO ART institute Dubai- United Arab Emirates 2013 Beirut art fair - LEBANON 2013 SOLO exhibition - Abu Dhabi Art Hub, Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates 2012 Biennale world event for young artists, Nottingham, United Kingdom 2012 Group exhibition (le visioni gionvanili) Egyptian Cultural Office Rome – ITALY 2011 XV Biennale de la Mediterranée Thessaloniki, GREECE 2010 Participated with (artist: HASSAN KHAN) Evidence of Evidence Installed, Switzerland.
Boraey’s artworks can be found in Belgium, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, UAE, Lebanon, and Egypt.
Untitled, 2019 | Oil on canvas | 80 x 120 cm
Untitled, 2019 | Oil on canvas | 50 x 80 cm (each)
Untitled, 2019 | Oil on canvas | 50 x 80 cm (each)
The first time I came face to face with Hady Boraey’s work, I had the impression to catch in his gesture a similar feeling to the artisan of Coyhaique, in the Chilean Patagonia, Oscar Ziehlmann, whom I met twenty years ago. He was crouched in his atelier full of stones, he had gone to chose and take from the river, focusing with extreme delicacy while peeling away that invisible shield concealing the soul of the stone, which is covering and protecting every one of them, to unveil the mirror image of the passer-by. His figures are inspired by nature, animals and believes of the original people who call the stones the “abuelitas”, “the grand-mothers”, because they say that they keep the memory of all that happened in the past, and probably all that is coming in the future. Hady Boraey’s inspiration in Alexandria and its history mirrored the same loyalty and dedication to the craft as that of the Chilean artisan: Hady Boraey choses to give a stone to each of his Egyptian faces, depicted in colourful surroundings of orange, blues, white and black according to his spiritual mood and according to the sadness or happiness that his characters lived through him. The Stone is the mirror of our soul. That is the message of the work of both creators who are to passing us the memory of what has been and of what will be. They both do not know each other and they may never meet, but the stone is the language that unites them. I believe in that common language, in that curious spirit that creates beauty in a world that is actually fighting against beauty. But beauty never disappears. Thanks to artists who are living in all the corners of the world.
Cristina L’Homme, chilean-french journalist and writer – January 2020
I am a stone I am a rock I am water, sky, sand I am fire I am the living stone who names me I am strenght The strenght born with me The one that never dies I am the daughter of Latin América Sister of the Orient Arised in the midst of mountains and Ocean Andes and Pacífic Breathing the Middle East’s pain and blood I am the stone, the rock, the tool, Yonder in the desert I am the rock on my shoulders The one that grows in your hands I am the rock of the earth
Untitled, 2019 | Acrylic on wood | 180 x 122 cm
“Hady Boraey eloquently explores the fundamental nature of man through this epic visual journey. His distinct sculptural figures with their elegant aloofness are imbued with deep longing and quiet, persistent passion, drawing the viewer into a dialogue, and profound spiritual contemplation. While he movingly conveys a sense of suffering and frustration, his work is ultimately hopeful, visually portraying a strong belief in all that is good and true.�
Paul-Gordon Chandler (Rev. Canon), Founding President, CARAVAN
Untitled, 2019 | Oil on wood | 100 x 122 cm
Untitled, 2019 | Oil on canvas | 70 x 70 cm
Untitled, 2019 | Oil on canvas | 70 x 70 cm
Untitled, 2019 | Oil on canvas | 30 x 30 cm (each)
The Journey from chapter #1 to chapter #4 2014 - 2016 - 2018 - 2020
Catalogue Published on the occasion of the show HEAVEN’S BACKYARD January 21, 2020 COORDINATORS Cherine Chafik Engy El-Bouliny Wael Seif El Nasr
TEXT Fatenn Mostafa Cristina L’Homme
Paul-Gordon Chandler
PHOTOGRAPHS Wael Seif El Nasr Hady Boraey GRAPHIC CONCEPT & REALIZATION Engy El-Bouliny
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