Sobhy Guirguis | Catalogue | The Self and The Other

THE SELF AND THE OTHER S O B H Y GUIRGUIS

‫ﺻﺒـــﺤﻰ ﺟﺮﺟـــﺲ‬

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The Self& The Other Sobhy Guirguis 4 – 25 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 Cairo–Egypt

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

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ESSAYS FATENN MOSTAFA SAMIR GHARIB MOSTAFA RAZZAZZ SOBHY SHAROUNY

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OEUVRES BY THEME HOPE THE MOTHER & THE CHILD WITHIN THE TRUTH

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BIOGRAPHY ABOUT ARTTALKS

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SOBHY GUIRGUIS 1929 -2013 SOBHY GUIRGUIS was born on the 20th of December 1929 in Cairo, Egypt where he lived and worked. Influenced by his father, a renowned flute player in Om Kolthoum orchestra and his passion for music, Guirguis first enrolled to study music but after two years, decided to switch and studied arts instead. He received a BFA, MFA and PhD from the faculty of fine arts in Cairo in 1958. In 1962 and thanks to a scholarship from the Italian government, Sobhy Guirguis travelled to Florence, Italy, to pursue further studies, which culminated into a post-graduate diploma in 1964. Guirguis would remain in Italy until 1967 working and exhibiting in Florence. In 1976, Sobhy Guirguis represented Egypt at the 37th International Biennale of Venice, Venice, Italy.

In 1993, a museum under Sobhy Guirguis name and containing a collection of his works, was inaugurated in the Contemporary Art Village in Shouna, Agamy, Alexandria. 1994 would become a pivotal year in Sobhy Guirguis life as he would receive the prestigious first prize for sculpture at the Alexandria Biennale for Mediterranean Countries and the Grand Prize of the Cairo International Biennale.

Finally, he was awarded the State Prize for Arts in 2007. Sobhy Guirguis passed away on January 20th, 2013 at the age of 83.

Sobhy Guirguis: The Self and The Other is a retrospective to commemorate the first anniversary of the passing of this remarkable Egyptian artist. The show brings together over 60 of his most definitive paintings and sculptures, many previously unseen, spanning 60 years of artistic production.

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art essays

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THE SELF& THE OTHER

by FATENN MOSTAFA

Sobhy Guirguis departed this world on January 20th, 2013 at the age of 83, leaving behind an unparalleled legacy of avant-gardism, modernity and humanity.

As we enter the realm of one of the more perplexing artistic psyches of the 20th century in the Arab world, we soon realize how his art creates a profound and intimate experience. His sculptural or painted shapes are a metaphor to his secluded life, an autobiography in a way, acknowledging the self and the self as an/other. His work is at once conceptual and emotional; minimalistic and complex; mature and childlike; ancient Egyptian and universal; abstract and figurative and above all, human. Abstract geometric shapes such as bulging blocks, linear figures, rectangular or cylindrical heads with delicate features and deformed bodies search for answers to the unexplainable human existence and the dashed hopes in mankind. Isolated between his apartment and studios located in the same building in popular downtown Cairo between Boulaq and Shobra, yet aware of the external events surrounding him, Sobhy Guirguis was probably the most existential Egyptian artist of the twentieth century, beside Abdel Hady el Gazzar, and the most truthful to the child within the adult.

The best works of Guirguis take you to the limit of your capacity to be moved by art.

Though he always had supporters and noteworthy shows, his work remained largely unknown outside the tiny circles of Egyptian avant garde art connoisseurs.

Sobhy Guirguis had long chosen to be away from the limelight of honors and awards, opting to spend his time inquiring and producing, showing an indefatigable commitment to artistic creation, which he pursued until his last day. It was not until the Ministry of Culture inaugurated a one-floor museum in Shona Art

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Center and Museums, Agamy, Alexandria in 1991 dedicated to the sculptures of Sobhy Guirguis and a comprehensive retrospective fifteen years later in 2007 in Horizon One Gallery at Mahmoud Khalil Museum, when he was already 78, that he at last took his place, one of the most inventive and disturbing Egyptian sculptors of the century. Perhaps Guirguis’ choice of liberating himself from the constraints of fashion, success and market pressure enabled him to work entirely for himself, in complete freedom and to unclutter his mind from the atrocities created by men, which he warned against, such as wars, violence, destruction, poverty, the rise of street children; not seeking anything, but absolute silence to observe and understand. His work is a product of contradictions. His rejection of all human ills surrounding him is visible through the deformation of the bodies, the abnormality in the shape of the faces, the recurring use of three toes symbolizing man’s relation with the divine, the other and the self. Yet, charged with hope, the works of Sobhy Guirguis are serene and tender, as he puts the values that can save humanity on a pedestal – compassion, love and innocence.

While his work resists traditional categorization in a certain school or art movement, it derives its influence from multiple sources at different stages of his life, to create his own distinctive identity and establishment. Early on, Coptic and ancient Egyptian art had a profound influence on his work. In his sculptures, Guirguis’ rejection of classical representational perspective in favor of subjective expressionism produced a liberating break from ‘instantaneity’ and strict formalist norms that characterize most sculptors in Egypt. Cubism and surrealism provided him with the freedom to explore the world with great emotional and instinctive feelings, arising from the most profound layers of the psyche. His defiantly unconven-

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Sobhy Guirguis with Former Minister of Culture Mohamed Abd El Kader Hatem, 1971

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tional geometric abstraction of form rejected the official prevailing academicrealism, creating a modernism that claimed to tap into the universal. As a result, his oeuvre remains unclassifiable for he fiercely sought independence.

“My experiment gives me the feeling of individuality”. In one essay written by the late painter, art critic and poet Ahmed Fouad Selim, Guirguis is linked to a few artists such as English sculptor Anthony Caro, Welsh sculptor Barry Flanagan, German painter and sculptor Penck, Italian painter Enzo Cucci and American painter Jean Michel Basquiat. Others compared his linear works with Giacometti. Nonetheless, crudely assembling human emotions into sculpture using neo-primitivist imagery of human figures, Sobhy Guirguis resembles no one else. His art is predominantly naïve in the sense that inspiration springs directly from emotions triggered by his past growing up as a child in a family with a renown musician father playing the flute in the orchestra of Egyptian singer Om Kolhtoum and by his altruistic eagerness to give, as a solitary genius – a withdrawn artist, thinker and existentialist.

Sobhy Guirguis started with linear thin figures, and then proceeded with welding tin foils to achieve congregating bulbous forms, working with bronze, iron, brass and wood. In his sculptures with unusual forms, juxtapositions, men, women and children are somehow indistinguishable. Many seem trapped or attempt to escape. Some are lying down, imagining, meditating, contemplating; others are peacefully sitting or standing as though crucified or raising

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Om Kolthoum with her orchestra and Saad, father of Sobhy Guirguis,

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their arms anticipating the final judgment. Some more seem to be the wise voice within, acting as guides and protectors coming to the rescue, wrapped in a Sufi atmosphere. Being part of this whole humanity, Sobhy Guirguis felt a tremendous responsibility and was disturbed by what had become of it.

Painting came later, in the 1990s. In his oil on canvas paintings using a limited palette, women seem to outnumber men, with recurring themes of childhood, motherhood, family and fortunetelling as though they would be the answer to man’s quest for peace, serenity and hope. Clearly, his paintings complement his sculpture repertoire and broaden his exploration of the different states of feelings, bringing in a balance the like of faith and despair, peace and internal struggle, Adam and Eve. All his sculptures are produced in one single edition, with large formats such as the Guardian and smaller ones such as The Wall series.

His invented technique of directly working on the material - bronze, brass or iron, without a prior model out of clay or a drawing, sets Guirguis apart and minimized the intervention of specialized craftsmen. This intimate relationship of welding, bending, blending, shaping, modeling, melting directly on the material is rare, as most sculptors would need technicians to turn their drawings or clay models into the final creation and provided Guirguis with absolute spontaneity and freedom.

For viewers not versed in his work and techniques, much of Sobhy Guirguis work may come across as crude and unfinished. In his final works, Guirguis colored and oxidized part of his patina, using vibrant colors and blending different materials using tin and iron rods. His use of red and orange painted in a spontaneous, childlike way with scribbled writings, seems to stem either from his wish to return to his childhood or to indicate that after all, the answer to life is innocence or the child

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Seated Woman Brass

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Graduation Project 1958

Graduation Project 1958

Faculty of Fine Arts, Cairo Graduating Class 1958 Sobhy Guirguis, second from right to left, of kneeling students 18

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within each one of us. His work brings to mind the transience of the human condition, its vulnerability, ills and existential loneliness, for Guirguis chose to be solitary.

His work can be read as an assertive existentialist statement, a loud cry against his dashed hopes in mankind, and his career as an example of perseverance.

“The first time I met Dr Sobhy Guirguis was in 2001. At that time, I was the CEO of Gianaclis Vineyards for Beverages, a daughter company of Al Ahram Beverages.

During my tenure, I was lucky enough to be able to combine my personal passion – the arts, with my professional responsibilities, by rebranding Obelisque wine into Obelisk Egypt’s Modern Vine Arts. The idea aimed at creating awareness and building appreciation of Egyptian arts by placing and changing annually the picture of different works of art on the three wine labels. Ultimately, the company would own a decent art collection over time. To make sound choices, we created a committee with respected art practitioners. One of the members of the committee, Karim Francis who owned a contemporary art gallery by his name, had brought pictures of sculptures by Sobhy Guirguis. Karim made an appointment and together, we went to visit Dr Sobhy in his studio. The moment I shook his hands, I knew I was in the presence of a beautiful soul and a giant artist. Different kinds of relationships developed between us across this decade and more, from a mere admirer to a collector of his works to a sort of confidante, where silence and tea were part of our conversations. The last time I met Dr Sobhy was a few months before he passed

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Graduation Project 1958

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away. It was October 2012. On that day, I was returning his personal laptop, a precious asset, that he had generously lent me, containing his life – personal photographs, scans of newspaper articles written about the numerous exhibitions he held, awards he won, his entire body of work, scribbled poems and music he wrote.

His son Ehab had managed to digitize Sobhy Guirguis’ life. And Sobhy was proud of his son’s achievement, for he was protective of his family and secretive about his personal life. And I had promised him then that I would one day organize a retrospective and publish a book in his honor.

To you, Dr Sobhy!

Fatenn Mostafa Founder . ArtTalks

Sobhy Guirguis Atelier

Sobhy Guirguis in his Atelier, May 2012 22

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SOBHY GUIRGUIS TRIGGERS FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS

by SAMIR GHARIB

RECLINING Brass 116 x 50 x 35cm

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When I reviewed the works of prominent Egyptian artist Sobhy Guirguis at ArtTalks Gallery in Cairo, questions about basics and fundamentals were unleashed in my mind: What is sculpture? What is painting?

Who is Sobhy Guirguis?

For a virtuoso artist such as Sobhy Guirguis, who has lived enough to experience questions on visualizing life and what lies beyond it, his diverse creativity across his life recalls to mind the big questions, and provides us with material to derive the answer from his creations.

The works of Sobhy Guirguis have answered questions about what sculpture is, and what painting is as he has practiced both. He is originally a sculptor, and he remained loyal to the art of sculpture for the duration of his career. Yet he practiced painting in the last quarter century of his life alongside sculpture. In both, he practices expressionism in its finest form, focused on human beings and the human form. Yet his manner of expression

‫ﻋﻨﺪﻣﺎ أﻋﺪت رؤﻳﺔ أﻋﻤﺎل ﻟﻠﻔﻨﺎن اﻟﻤﺼﺮي‬ ‫اﻟﻜﺒﻴﺮ ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ ﻓﻲ ﻗﺎﻋﺔ ” آرت ﺗﻮك‬ ‫ ﻃﻔﺖ ﻋﻠﻰ‬، ‫” ﺑﺎﻟﻘﺎﻫﺮة اﺳﺘﻌﺪادا ﻟﻤﻌﺮﺿﻪ‬ ‫ ﻣﺎ اﻟﻨﺤﺖ ؟ ﻣﺎ‬: ‫ذﻫﻨﻲ أﺳﺌﻠﺔ ﻣﻦ اﻟﺒﺪاﻳﺎت‬ ‫اﻟﺘﺼﻮﻳﺮ؟ رﺑﻤﺎ ﻟﺘﻄﺮح ﻋﻠﻰ ﺳﺆاﻻ ﻋﻦ ﻓﻨﺎن‬ ‫ ﻣﻦ ﻫﻮ ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ ؟‬: ‫أﻋﺮﻓﻪ‬ ‫ ﻋﺎش‬، ‫ﻣﻊ ﻓﻨﺎن ﻣﺒﺪع ﻣﺜﻞ ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ‬ ‫ﺑﻤﺎ ﻳﻜﻔﻰ ﻟﻴﻌﺮف أﺳﺌﻠﺔ اﻟﺮؤﻳﺔ اﻟﺒﺼﺮﻳﺔ‬ ‫ ﻓﺈن إﺑﺪاﻋﻪ اﻟﻤﺘﻨﻮع ﻋﻠﻰ‬، ‫ﻟﻠﺤﻴﺎة وﻣﺎ وراﺋﻬﺎ‬ ‫ﺳﺌﻠﺔ اﻟﻜﺒﺮى‬f‫ﻣﺴﺎر ﺣﻴﺎﺗﻪ ﻳﻌﻴﺪ ﻋﻠﻴﻨﺎ ﻃﺮح ا‬ . ‫ﻟﻨﺴﺘﺨﻠﺺ إﺟﺎﺑﺎﺗﻬﺎ ﻣﻦ إﺑﺪاﻋﻪ ذاﺗﻪ‬ ‫أﺟﺎﺑﺖ أﻋﻤﺎل ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ ﻋﻤﺎ ﻫﻮ اﻟﻨﺤﺖ‬ ‫ ﻫﻮ ﻧﺤﺎت‬. ‫ وﻋﻤﺎ ﻫﻮ اﻟﺘﺼﻮﻳﺮ ﻛﻤﺎ ﻣﺎرﺳﻬﻤﺎ‬، ‫ ﻇﻞ ﻃﻮال ﺣﻴﺎﺗﻪ اﻟﻤﺒﺪﻋﺔ‬، ‫ﺳﺎس‬f‫ﻓﻲ ا‬ ‫ ﻟﻜﻨﻪ ﻣﺎرس اﻟﺘﺼﻮﻳﺮ‬، ‫ﻣﺨﻠﺼﺎ ﻟﻔﻦ اﻟﻨﺤﺖ‬ . ‫ﺧﻴﺮ ﻣﻦ ﺣﻴﺎﺗﻪ ﺑﺠﺎﻧﺐ اﻟﻨﺤﺖ‬f‫ﻓﻲ اﻟﺮﺑﻊ ﻗﺮن ا‬ ‫ﻫﻮ ﻓﻲ اﻟﺤﺎﻟﺘﻴﻦ ﻓﻨﺎن ﺗﻌﺒﻴﺮي ﻣﻦ ﻃﺮاز رﻓﻴﻊ‬ ‫ﻧﺴﺎن ﻋﻠﻰ وﺟﻪ‬s‫ ﺗﻌﺒﻴﺮي ﻣﺘﺨﺼﺺ ﻓﻲ ا‬. ‫ ﻓﻜﻞ ﻣﻨﺤﻮﺗﺎﺗﻪ وﻟﻮﺣﺎﺗﻪ ﺗﻘﻮم ﻋﻠﻰ‬. ‫اﻟﺘﺤﺪﻳﺪ‬ ‫ ﻟﻜﻦ اﻟﺘﻌﺒﻴﺮ ﻋﻦ ﻫﺬا اﻟﺸﻜﻞ‬. ‫ﺷﻜﻞ ﺑﺸﺮى‬ ‫ ﺗﻜﻮﻳﻦ‬. ‫ﻳﺘﻔﺎوت ﺑﻴﻦ اﻟﺘﻤﺜﺎل وﺑﻴﻦ اﻟﻠﻮﺣﺔ‬ ، ‫ﻧﺴﺎن ﻓﻲ اﻟﺘﻤﺜﺎل ﺗﻜﻮﻳﻦ ﺳﺮﻳﺎﻟﻲ ﻋﺎدة‬s‫ا‬ ‫ أو إﻋﺎدة‬، ‫ﺳﻮاء ﻓﻲ إﻋﺎدة ﺗﺸﻜﻴﻠﻪ ﻓﻲ ذاﺗﻪ‬ ‫ﻧﺴﺎن‬s‫ ﻓﻲ إﻋﺎدة اﻟﺘﻘﺪﻳﻢ ﻳﺼﺒﺢ ا‬. ‫ﺗﻘﺪﻳﻤﻪ ﻟﻨﺎ‬

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WOMAN AND THE BALL Wood, 1970’s Estate of the artist

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differs in his sculptures from his paintings.

His composition in sculpture is mostly surrealistic, whether in his reassembling or presenting it to us. In the latter, the human form becomes part of a chair, or hangs on a prison cell wall, for example.

For Sobhy Guirguis, the human being is a symbol. He rids the body of details, breaks it down, and condenses it to outline his intended message. And how I have adored his painting “The Thinker”, for it possesses a striking feature shared by many of Guirguis’ works, which can be described as “succinct surrealistic expressionism.” I would have liked him to sculpt this painting, for he would have rivaled in a striking and original way the famed sculpture by renowned French sculptor Auguste Rodin, and which shares the same name “The Thinker.” All of Guirguis’ portraits are masks. Or, they are masks that summarize the faces behind them. He reached the peak of his expressionist representations of human masks in

‫ أو ﻣﻌﻠﻘﺎ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺟﺪار ﺳﺠﻨﻪ‬، ‫ﺟﺰءا ﻣﻦ ﻛﺮﺳﻰ‬ ‫ أو رﻗﻴﻘﺔ ﻣﻘﻄﻌﺔ اﻟﺠﻮاﻧﺐ أو‬، ‫ أو ﻫﺎوﻳﺎ ﻓﻴﻪ‬، .‫ﻏﻴﺮ ذﻟﻚ‬ ‫ﻧﺴﺎن ﻋﻨﺪ ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ ﺳﻮاء ﻓﻲ‬s‫ا‬ ‫ ﻟﺬا ﻫﻨﺎك‬. ‫ﻣﻨﺤﻮﺗﺎﺗﻪ أو ﻟﻮﺣﺎﺗﻪ ﻫﻮ رﻣﺰ‬ ‫ﺗﻠﺨﻴﺺ ﻓﻲ ﻣﻨﺤﻮﺗﺎت ﺻﺒﺤﻲ وﻛﺬا ﻓﻲ‬ ، ‫ ﻳﺨﻠﺺ اﻟﺠﺴﺪ ﻣﻦ اﻟﺘﻔﺎﺻﻴﻞ‬. ‫ﺗﺼﻮﻳﺮه‬ ‫ وﻛﻢ‬. ‫وﻳﻠﺨﺼﻪ ﻟﻴﺆﻛﺪ ﻣﺎ ﻳﺮﻣﻰ إﻟﻴﻪ أو ﻳﺮﻣﺰ‬ ‫ إذ ﻓﻴﻬﺎ‬، ” ‫أﺣﺒﺒﺖ ﻟﻮﺣﺘﻪ اﻟﻤﺴﻤﺎة ” اﻟﻤﻔﻜﺮ‬ ‫ﺳﻤﺎت ﺑﺎرزة ﻓﻲ ﻛﺜﻴﺮ ﻣﻦ ﻓﻦ ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ‬ ‫ ووددت ﻟﻮ‬. ” ‫ ”اﻟﺘﻌﺒﻴﺮﻳﺔ اﻟﺴﺮﻳﺎﻟﻴﺔ ﻣﻠﺨﺼﺔ‬: ‫ ﻛﺎن ﺳﻴﻌﺎرض ﺑﻬﺎ ﺑﺸﻜﻞ ﻓﺬ‬، ‫ﻧﺤﺘﻬﺎ ﺗﻤﺜﺎﻻ‬ ‫ﻣﺨﺘﻠﻒ اﻟﺘﻤﺜﺎل اﻟﻤﺸﻬﻮر ﻟﻠﻨﺤﺎت اﻟﻔﺮﻧﺴﻲ‬ ‫ﺷﻬﺮ ” أوﺟﺴﺖ رودان ” واﻟﻤﺴﻤﻰ ﺑﺎﻻﺳﻢ‬f‫ا‬ ‫ اﻟﺘﻠﺨﻴﺺ رﻣﺰ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻣﺴﺘﻮى‬. ” ‫ذاﺗﻪ ”اﻟﻤﻔﻜﺮ‬ ‫ أو رﻣﺰ اﺧﺘﻔﻰ وراء‬، ‫ﻧﺴﺎن‬s‫ ﺷﻔﺮة ا‬، ‫اﻟﺸﻔﺮة‬ ‫ وﺟﻮه ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ ﻛﻠﻬﺎ أﻗﻨﻌﺔ‬. ‫ﻗﻨﺎع‬ ‫ ﺑﻠﻎ ﻗﻤﺔ‬.‫ أو أﻧﻬﺎ أﻗﻨﻌﺔ ﺗﻠﺨﺺ اﻟﻮﺟﻮه‬. ‫ﻧﺴﺎن‬s‫ﺟﻤﺎل اﻟﺘﺸﻜﻴﻞ اﻟﺘﻌﺒﻴﺮي ﻋﻦ ﻗﻨﺎع ا‬ ‫ﻓﻲ ﻣﻨﺤﻮﺗﺘﻪ ﻣﻦ اﻟﺤﺠﺮ اﻟﺘﻲ أﺑﺪﻋﻬﺎ ﻓﻲ‬ . ‫ﺳﻤﺒﻮزﻳﻮم أﺳﻮان ﻟﻠﻨﺤﺖ ﻋﻨﺪﻣﺎ ﺷﺎرك ﻓﻴﻪ‬ ‫ ﻣﻦ اﻟﺼﻌﺐ اﻟﺘﻌﺒﻴﺮ ﻋﻦ‬، ‫إﻧﻬﺎ ﻗﻨﺎع ﻋﻠﻰ ﺣﺪة‬ ‫ ﻓﻬﻲ ﺟﺪار ﻣﻦ وﺟﻪ أو‬. ‫ﺟﻤﺎﻟﻬﺎ ﺑﻠﻐﺔ اﻟﻜﺘﺎﺑﺔ‬ ‫وﺟﻪ ﻣﻦ ﺟﺪار أﺧﺬ ﺣﺴﺎﺳﻴﺔ اﻟﺨﺎﻣﺔ ﻓﺤﻮﻟﺘﻪ‬

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ASWAN SCULPTURE SYMPOSIUM 1999

the stone sculptures that he showcased at the 1999 Aswan Sculpture Symposium.

The beauty of these works cannot be summarized in text. It is a wall made up of a face, or a face made from a wall, stealing the sensitivity and virility of the material, so that it is transformed into a valley for this face. The work is tight in division and balance. This is undoubtedly a beautiful work.

For Sobhy Guirguis, the world of childhood stands victorious over the challenges of adults in their grueling world. There is no difference in that theme between sculpture and painting other than the medium itself. But it is not a naïve childhood that Guirguis presents. It is an alert childhood, aware, and at times it is not devoid of cunningness. Or it is that Guirguis deviously relies on the world of children and its vocabulary about “bigger” issues, such as time. In all cases, it unleashes freedom of imagination, reorganizing the composition of the world: the adult world. It renders the world creative for the grown-ups. Return to

‫ ﻣﺤﻜﻢ اﻟﺘﻘﺴﻴﻢ واﻟﺘﻮازن‬. ‫إﻟﻰ واد ﻟﻮﺟﻪ‬ : ‫ ﺗﻮازن ﻣﺤﻜﻮم ﺑﺪﻗﺔ ﺑﻴﻦ ﻋﻨﺎﺻﺮ اﻟﻮﺟﻪ‬. ‫ﻋﻠﻰ واﻟﺸﻔﺘﻴﻦ اﻟﻤﻀﻤﻮﻣﺘﻴﻦ‬f‫اﻟﻌﻴﻨﺎن ﻓﻲ ا‬ ‫ﺳﻔﻞ وﺑﻴﻨﻬﻤﺎ أﻧﻒ‬f‫اﻟﻐﺎﺿﺒﺘﻴﻦ ﻓﻲ ا‬ .‫ ﻫﺬا ﻋﻤﻞ ﺟﻤﻴﻞ ﺑﻼ ﺷﻚ‬. ‫ﻃﻮوووﻳﻞ‬ ‫ﻋﻨﺪ ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ ﻳﻘﻒ ﻋﺎﻟﻢ اﻟﻄﻔﻮﻟﺔ‬ ‫ﻣﻨﺘﺼﺮا ﻋﻠﻰ ﺗﺤﺪﻳﺎت اﻟﻜﺒﺎر ﻓﻲ ﻋﺎﻟﻤﻬﻢ‬ ‫ ﻻ ﻓﺮق ﻓﻲ ذﻟﻚ ﺑﻴﻦ ﻧﺤﺖ وﺗﺼﻮﻳﺮ‬. ‫اﻟﺸﻘﻲ‬ ‫ وردود‬، ‫ﺳﻮى اﻟﺨﺎﻣﺔ وﻣﺘﻄﻠﺒﺎت اﺳﺘﻌﻤﺎﻟﻬﺎ‬ . ‫ ﻟﻜﻨﻬﺎ ﻟﻴﺴﺖ ﻃﻔﻮﻟﺔ ﺳﺎذﺟﺔ‬. ‫أﻓﻌﺎﻟﻬﺎ‬ ‫ وأﺣﻴﺎﻧﺎ ﻻ ﺗﺨﻠﻮ‬، ‫ ﻣﺪرﻛﺔ‬، ‫إﻧﻬﺎ ﻃﻔﻮﻟﺔ واﻋﻴﺔ‬ ‫ أو أن ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﻳﺘﺨﺎﺑﺚ ﻋﻠﻴﻨﺎ‬. ‫ﻣﻦ اﻟﺨﺒﺚ‬ ‫ﻃﻔﺎل وﻣﻔﺮداﺗﻪ ﻟﻠﺘﻌﺒﻴﺮ‬f‫ﻣﺘﻮﺳﻼ ﺑﻌﺎﻟﻢ ا‬ .‫ ﻣﺜﻞ ﻣﻮﺿﻮع اﻟﺰﻣﻦ‬، ” ‫ﻋﻦ ﻣﻮﺿﻮﻋﺎت ” ﻛﺒﺮى‬ ، ‫ﺣﻮال ﺗﻨﻄﻠﻖ ﻣﻨﻬﺎ ﺣﺮﻳﺔ اﻟﺨﻴﺎل‬f‫ﻓﻲ ﻛﻞ ا‬ ‫ إﻧﻬﺎ‬. ‫ ﻋﺎﻟﻢ اﻟﻜﺒﺎر‬: ‫ﻓﺘﻌﻴﺪ ﺗﺸﻜﻴﻞ اﻟﻌﺎﻟﻢ‬ ‫ ﻫﻨﺎ ﻳﺨﺘﻔﻲ اﻟﻔﺦ‬. ‫ﺗﺒﺪع ﻟﻠﻜﺒﺎر ﻋﺎﻟﻤﻬﻢ‬ ‫اﻟﺬي ﻳﻨﺼﺒﻪ اﻟﻄﻔﻞ داﺧﻞ إﺑﺪاع اﻟﻔﻨﺎن ﻟﻤﻦ‬ ‫ ﻋﻮدوا‬. ‫ﻳﻌﺘﻘﺪون ﻓﻲ أﻧﻔﺴﻬﻢ أﻧﻬﻢ ﻛﺒﺎر‬ ‫ ﻧﺤﻦ ﻧﻤﺘﻠﻚ إﻋﺎدة‬. ‫إﻟﻰ رﺷﺪﻛﻢ أﻳﻬﺎ اﻟﻐﺎوون‬ ‫ أو ﻛﻤﺎ ﻳﻨﺒﻐﻲ‬، ‫ﺗﺸﻜﻴﻞ اﻟﻌﺎﻟﻢ ﻛﻤﺎ ﻧﻬﻮى‬ ‫ ذﻟﻚ أن ﻋﺎﻟﻤﻜﻢ ﺑﺎﺋﺲ ﻣﺤﺪود‬. ‫ﻟﻪ أن ﻳﻜﻮن‬ ‫ وﻟﻨﺎ ﺛﺮاء اﻟﻘﻠﺐ‬، ‫ ﻟﺬا ﻓﻠﻜﻢ ﻓﻘﺮ اﻟﺮوح‬. ‫وﻣﺤﺪد‬ . ‫ﺑﻼ ﻧﻬﺎﻳﺔ‬

THE THINKER Oil on canvas Private collection 28

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your senses! We hold the tools to rebuild the world as we choose, or as it should be.

For the grown-up world is miserable, limited and limiting. Sobhy Guirguis’ diversity emerges from his emotional storage blended with his wide technical experience. This pushed him to not settle for sculpture alone. The canvas of a painting is made from a living creature, and it ultimately seems kind to Sobhy Guirguis’ fantastic creatures. It is a crib for them. It allows for a range of motions: they can stand up, fly, play, sleep, dance, or reveal their secrets. It carries a wide range of emotions: they can laugh, cry, or become surprised. And so his canvas inspires in you, as a witness to the world it houses, ideas, or excites you with dreams.

So how do Sobhy Guirguis’ creatures achieve all of this? It is with the color on their skin, the light, shades and “tones.”

It seems that Guirguis is a “moalem” (“master” is a colloquial Egyptian expression) of sculpture, and is a professional in

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‫إﻧﻪ اﻟﺘﻨﻮع اﻟﺜﺮى اﻟﺬي ﻣﺎرﺳﻪ ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ‬ ‫ﻣﻨﻄﻠﻘﺎ ﻣﻦ ﺧﺰاﻧﻪ اﻟﻌﺎﻃﻔﻲ اﻟﺒﺼﺮي ﻣﻌﺠﻮﻧﺎ‬ ‫ ﻫﺬا دﻓﻌﻪ إﻟﻰ أﻻ‬. ‫ﺑﺨﺒﺮﺗﻪ اﻟﺘﻘﻨﻴﺔ اﻟﻌﺮﻳﻀﺔ‬ . ‫ﻳﻜﺘﻔﻲ ﺑﻤﻤﺎرﺳﺔ اﻟﻨﺤﺖ وﺣﺪه‬ ‫ﻗﻤﺎﺷﺔ اﻟﻠﻮﺣﺔ اﻟﺘﻲ ﻫﻲ ﻣﻦ ﻛﺎﺋﻦ ﺣﻲ ﻓﻲ‬ ‫اﻟﻨﻬﺎﻳﺔ ﺗﺒﺪو ﺣﻨﻮﻧﺔ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻣﻦ ﻳﻔﺘﺮﺷﻬﺎ ﻣﻦ‬ ‫ ﻫﻲ ﻣﻬﺪ‬. ‫ﻛﺎﺋﻨﺎت ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ اﻟﻤﺪﻫﺸﺔ‬ ‫ ﺗﻘﻒ‬: ‫ ﺗﺄﺧﺬ ﻋﻠﻴﻬﺎ ﻛﻞ ﻣﺎ ﺗﺤﺐ ﻣﻦ أوﺿﺎع‬. ‫ﻟﻬﺎ‬ ‫ ﺗﻤﺎرس‬. ‫ ﺗﺮﻗﺺ أو ﺗﺘﻨﺎﺟﻰ‬، ‫ ﺗﻨﺎم‬، ‫ ﺗﻠﻌﺐ‬،‫ ﺗﻄﻴﺮ‬، ‫ ﺗﻀﺤﻚ‬:‫ﻋﻠﻴﻬﺎ ﻛﻞ ﻣﺎ ﻳﻄﻔﺮ ﻣﻨﻬﺎ ﻣﻦ ﻣﺸﺎﻋﺮ‬ ‫ ﻛﻤﺸﺎﻫﺪ‬، ‫ وﻛﺬا ﺗﻮﺣﻲ ﻟﻚ‬، ‫ﺗﺒﻜﻰ ﺗﻨﺪﻫﺶ‬ ‫ ﻓﻜﻴﻒ ﺗﻔﻌﻞ‬. ‫ أو ﺗﻐﺮﻳﻚ ﺑﺄﺣﻼم‬،‫ ﺑﺄﻓﻜﺎر‬، ‫ﻟﻬﺎ‬ ‫ﻟﻮان‬f‫ﻛﺎﺋﻨﺎت ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ ﻛﻞ ذﻟﻚ ؟ إﻧﻬﺎ ا‬ ‫ﺑﺠﺴﺪﻫﺎ وﺿﻮﺋﻬﺎ ودرﺟﺎﺗﻬﺎ ودرﺟﺎت درﺟﺎﺗﻬﺎ‬ ‫ ﻣﻦ‬، ” ‫ وﻛﻤﺎ ﻳﺒﺪو ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ” ﻣﻌﻠﻤﺎ‬. ” ‫” ﺗﻮﻧﺎﺗﻬﺎ‬ ‫اﻟﻤﺼﻄﻠﺢ اﻟﺸﻌﺒﻲ ”اﻟﻤﻌﻠﻢ“ اﻟﺬي ﻫﻮ أﻛﺒﺮ‬ ‫ ﻳﺒﺪو ﻣﺤﺘﺮﻓﺎ ﻓﻲ‬، ‫ ﻓﻲ اﻟﻨﺤﺖ‬، “‫ﻣﻦ ”أﺳﻄﻰ‬ ‫ ﻳﺘﺒﻊ ﻗﻮاﻋﺪ اﻟﺮﺳﻢ وﻳﺤﺎﻓﻆ ﻋﻠﻴﻬﺎ‬، ‫اﻟﺘﺼﻮﻳﺮ‬ ‫ﻣﻦ اﺗﺰان وﻋﻼﻗﺎت ﻣﺤﺒﻮﻛﺔ ﺑﻴﻦ اﻟﻤﺴﺎﺣﺎت‬ ‫ ﻓﻲ ﺑﻌﺾ ﻣﻦ‬، ‫ أﺣﻴﺎﻧﺎ‬. ‫وﺑﻴﻦ اﻟﻜﺘﻞ وﺑﻌﻀﻬﺎ‬ ‫ ﻳﻘﺘﺮب ﻣﻦ ﻋﺎﻟﻢ وﺗﺸﻜﻴﻞ ﺣﺎﻣﺪ ﻧﺪا‬، ‫ﻟﻮﺣﺎﺗﻪ‬ “‫ وأﺣﻴﺎﻧﺎ ﻳﺬﻛﺮك ﺑﻔﻜﺮة اﺧﺘﺮﻋﻬﺎ ”ﺑﻴﻜﺎﺳﻮ‬، ، ‫ ﻟﻜﻨﻪ ﻟﻴﺲ ﺑﻬﺬا وﻻ ذاك‬، ‫ﻟﺘﺸﻜﻴﻞ اﻟﻮﺟﻪ‬ . ‫ﺑﻞ ﻫﻮ ذاﺗﻪ‬

MOTHERHOOD Bronze

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THE CIRCUS Oil on Canvas

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painting, who follows the rules of painting and upkeeps it through balance and an amicable relationship between spaces and shapes.

In some of his paintings, he comes close to the world and composition of Hamed Nada, and at times he reminds you of the idea conceived by Picasso for composing portraits, yet he is neither this nor that, he is himself. Painting alongside sculpture added a significant richness to Guirguis.

I imagine that he satisfied every corner in his emotional storage, which did not run out until his death. He was a strong stallion of creativity, despite the fact that his appearance did not suggest it. I remember him like the Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti. He was tall and slim, who created a tall and very slim man. Giacometti and his sculpted human were united.

Yet the tall Sobhy contrasted with Giacometti, for he created short humans or bodiless figures, or he created new figures that symbolized different types of humans,

‫أﺿﺎﻓﺖ ﻣﻤﺎرﺳﺔ اﻟﺘﺼﻮﻳﺮ ﺑﺠﺎﻧﺐ اﻟﻨﺤﺖ إﻟﻰ‬ ‫ أﺗﺼﻮر أﻧﻪ أرﺿﻰ‬.‫ﺻﺒﺤﻲ اﻟﻤﺒﺪع ﺛﺮاء ﻋﻠﻰ ﺛﺮاء‬ ‫ﻛﻞ زاوﻳﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺧﺰاﻧﻪ اﻟﺸﻌﻮري اﻟﺬي ﻟﻢ ﻳﻨﻀﺐ‬ ‫ ﻋﻠﻰ‬. ‫ﺑﺪاع‬s‫ إﻧﻪ ﻓﻨﺎن ” ﻓﺤﻞ ” ا‬. ‫ﺣﺘﻰ ﻣﺎت‬ ‫اﻟﺮﻏﻢ ﻣﻦ أن ﺷﻜﻠﻪ ﻟﻢ ﻳﻜﻦ ﻳﻮﺣﻲ ﺑﺬﻟﻚ‬ ‫ أﺗﺬﻛﺮه ﻣﺜﻞ اﻟﻨﺤﺎت اﻟﺴﻮﻳﺴﺮي ” اﻟﺒﺮﺗﻮ‬. ‫ﺟﻴﺎﻛﻮﻣﻴﺘﻰ ” ﻛﺎن ﻃﻮﻳﻼ ﻧﺤﻴﻔﺎ أﺑﺪع إﻧﺴﺎﻧﺎ‬ ‫ ﺗﻮﺣﺪ ”ﺟﻴﺎﻛﻮﻣﻴﺘﻰ ” ﻣﻊ‬. ‫ﻃﻮﻳﻼ ﺷﺪﻳﺪ اﻟﻨﺤﺎﻓﺔ‬ ‫ ﺗﻌﺎرض‬، ‫ ﻃﻮﻳﻞ اﻟﻘﺎﻣﺔ‬،‫ ﻟﻜﻦ ﺻﺒﺤﻲ‬. ‫إﻧﺴﺎﻧﻪ‬ ‫ﻣﻊ ”ﺟﻴﺎﻛﻮﻣﻴﺘﻰ“ ﻓﺼﻨﻊ ﺑﺸﺮا ﻗﺼﻴﺮي اﻟﻘﺎﻣﺔ‬ ‫ أو ﺧﻠﻖ ﻟﻬﻢ ﻗﺎﻣﺎت ﺟﺪﻳﺪة‬، ‫أو ﺑﻼ ﻗﺎﻣﺔ ﺗﻘﺮﻳﺒﺎ‬ ‫ﻟﺨﺺ ﺑﻬﺎ ﻗﺎﻣﺎت ﺑﻌﺾ اﻟﺒﺸﺮ ﻟﻴﻀﻌﻬﻢ ﻓﻲ‬ . ‫ﺗﻜﻮﻳﻨﺎت ﺟﺪﻳﺪة ﻓﻠﺴﻔﻴﺔ‬ ‫ﻫﻨﺎ ﻳﺘﺸﺎرك ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ ﻣﻊ ” ﺟﻴﺎﻛﻮﻣﻴﺘﻰ‬ ‫ إذ أن ﻓﻠﺴﻔﺔ‬. ‫” ﻓﻲ ﻣﻀﻤﻮن اﻟﻔﻠﺴﻔﺔ‬ ‫ ﻓﻠﺴﻔﺔ‬. ‫ﻛﻞ ﻣﻨﻬﻤﺎ واﺣﺪة ﻓﻴﻤﺎ ﻳﺒﺪو ﻟﻲ‬ . ‫ ﺧﻠﻖ ﻛﻞ ﻣﻨﻬﻤﺎ إﻧﺴﺎﻧﻪ ﻏﺮﻳﺒﺎ‬. ‫اﻻﻏﺘﺮاب‬ ‫ﻳﻌﺒﺮ ﻋﻤﺎ ﻓﻲ اﻟﺤﻴﺎة ﻣﻦ ﻏﺮاﺑﺔ ﻋﻦ ﻃﺮﻳﻖ‬ ‫ ﻃﻮﻳﻼ ﻧﺤﻴﻔﺎ ﺟﺪا ﻋﻨﺪ‬. ‫ﻧﺴﺎن ووﺿﻌﻪ‬s‫ﺷﻜﻞ ا‬ ‫” ﺟﻴﺎﻛﻮﻣﻴﺘﻰ ” ﻟﻜﻨﻪ ﻳﺤﻤﻞ رأﺳﻪ ﻃﺒﻴﻌﻴﺔ‬ ‫ ﻗﺼﻴﺮا‬. ‫ﻋﻤﻮدﻳﺔ ﻋﻠﻰ رﻗﺒﺘﻪ اﻟﻄﻮﻳﻠﺔ أﻳﻀﺎ‬ ‫ وﻻ‬، ‫ﻋﺮﻳﻀﺎ أو ﻣﻨﺒﻌﺠﺎ ﻋﻨﺪ ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ‬ ‫ﻳﺤﻤﻞ رأﺳﻪ ﻓﻲ وﺿﻌﻬﺎ اﻟﻄﺒﻴﻌﻲ ﻋﻤﻮدﻳﺔ‬ . ‫ وإﻧﻤﺎ أﻓﻘﻴﺔ أو ﻣﻨﺤﺮﻓﺔ وﺑﻼ رﻗﺒﺔ‬، ‫ﻋﻠﻰ رﻗﺒﺘﻪ‬

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and placed them in philosophical compositions. Here, Guirguis is aligned with Giacometti in the realm of philosophy.

To me, their philosophies are the same.

It is the philosophy of alienation. Each of them created a peculiar person.

They express what is strange about life through the shape and posture of the human form. Tall and slim figures emerge in Giacometti’s work, holding their head normally vertical atop long necks.

Figures were short and wide in the work of Sobhy Guirguis, and did not bear necks in their usual place, but rather horizontal or misplaced or altogether absent. At times the human head in Guirguis’s sculptures is oversized; a burden on the body. And Guirguis resembles Giacometti in his surrealistic background, for surrealism was the liveliest period in Giacometti’s career.

Meanwhile for Sobhy, surrealism was perhaps more about symbolism and its visual disposition. In any case, both of them took the liberty to invent their human figures.

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‫ﻧﺴﺎن ﻓﻲ ﻣﻨﺤﻮﺗﺔ ﺻﺒﺤﻲ‬s‫أﺣﻴﺎﻧﺎ ﺗﺒﺪو رأس ا‬ ‫ﻋﺒﺌﺎ ﻛﺒﻴﺮا ﻋﻠﻰ ﺟﺴﺪه ﺑﺎﻟﻤﺒﺎﻟﻐﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺣﺠﻢ‬ ‫ وﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﻣﺜﻞ‬. ‫ﻓﻘﻲ‬f‫اﻟﺮأس ﻓﻲ ﻫﺬا اﻟﻮﺿﻊ ا‬ ‫ وﻗﺪ‬، ‫”ﺟﻴﺎﻛﻮﻣﻴﺘﻰ“ ﻓﻲ ﺧﻠﻔﻴﺘﻬﻤﺎ اﻟﺴﺮﻳﺎﻟﻴﺔ‬ ‫ﻛﺎﻧﺖ اﻟﺴﺮﻳﺎﻟﻴﺔ ﻋﻨﺪ ”ﺟﻴﺎﻛﻮﻣﻴﺘﻲ“ اﻟﻤﺮﺣﻠﺔ‬ ‫ ﺑﻴﻨﻤﺎ ﻫﻲ ﻋﻨﺪ‬. ‫ﻛﺜﺮ زﺧﻤﺎ ﻓﻲ ﺣﻴﺎﺗﻪ اﻟﻔﻨﻴﺔ‬f‫ا‬ . ‫ﺻﺒﺤﻲ أﻛﺜﺮ رﻣﺰﻳﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻃﺎﺑﻌﻬﺎ اﻟﺸﻜﻠﻲ‬ ‫ أﺑﺪﻋﺎ‬. ‫اﻟﻤﻬﻢ أن ﻛﻼﻫﻤﺎ أﺑﺪع ﺷﻜﻞ إﻧﺴﺎﻧﻪ‬ ‫ﻧﺴﺎن واﺣﺪ داﺧﻠﻪ اﻟﻬﻢ‬s ‫ﺷﻜﻴﻦ ﻣﺨﺘﻠﻔﻴﻦ‬ ‫ وﺑﻴﻨﻤﺎ ﺗﻨﻀﺢ ﻣﺼﺮﻳﺔ ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﻋﻠﻰ‬. ‫ذاﺗﻪ‬ . ‫ ﺗﺒﺪو ﻣﻨﺤﻮﺗﺎﺗﻪ ﻋﺎﻟﻤﻴﺔ‬، ‫ﻛﺜﻴﺮ ﻣﻦ ﻟﻮﺣﺎﺗﻪ‬ ‫ واﻟﺘﻌﺒﻴﺮ‬، ‫اﻟﻔﻜﺮ ﻫﻨﺎ ﻏﺎﻟﺐ ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻤﻔﺮدات‬ ‫ ﻫﻞ أدرك‬. ‫اﻟﻔﻨﻰ اﻟﻘﺪﻳﺮ أﻗﻮى ﻣﻦ اﻟﺘﻔﺎﺻﻴﻞ‬ ‫ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﻫﺬا ﻓﻜﺘﺐ ﻣﺜﻼ ﻋﺒﺎرات ﻋﺮﺑﻴﺔ ﻋﻠﻰ‬ ‫ وﻋﻠﻰ رأس واﺣﺪ آﺧﺮ‬، ‫ﺑﻄﻦ واﺣﺪ ﻣﻦ ﻧﺎﺳﻪ‬ ‫ﻟﻴﻮﺿﺢ أن اﻟﻨﺤﺎت ﻋﺮﺑﻲ؟‬ ‫ ﻫﻜﺬا ﻓﻠﺴﻒ ﻛﻞ ﻓﻨﺎن ﺣﻴﺎة‬، ‫ﻋﻠﻰ ﻛﻞ ﺣﺎل‬ ‫ ﻧﻌﻢ ﻻ‬. ‫إﻧﺴﺎﻧﻪ وواﻗﻌﻪ ﻣﻦ ﻓﻠﺴﻔﺔ واﺣﺪة‬ ‫ ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﺮﻏﻢ ﻣﻦ أن‬. ‫ﻳﺨﻠﻮ ﻓﻦ ﻣﻦ ﻓﻠﺴﻔﺔ‬ ‫ إﻻ أن ﺗﻌﺒﻴﺮ ﻛﻞ‬، ‫ﻣﻮﺿﻮع اﻟﻔﻠﺴﻔﺔ ﻣﺤﻴﺮ‬ ” ‫ﻣﻨﻬﻤﺎ ” ﺟﻴﺎﻛﻮﻣﻴﺘﻰ وﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ‬ ‫ ﻓﺎﻟﺘﻌﺒﻴﺮ واﺿﺢ وﺿﻮح‬. ‫اﻟﻔﻠﺴﻔﻲ ﻻ ﻳﺤﻴﺮك‬ ‫وﻟﻰ ﻟﻠﻔﻠﺴﻔﺔ اﻟﺘﻲ ﻳﺤﻤﻠﻬﺎ‬f‫اﻟﻤﺒﺎدئ ا‬ ‫ وﻳﻌﺒﺮ ﻋﻨﻬﺎ ﻟﻜﻨﻪ ﻻ‬، ‫ أي إﻧﺴﺎن‬، ‫ﻧﺴﺎن‬s‫ا‬

They produced two different forms for one human being with the same anxieties.

And while Guirguis’ Egyptian identity leaks onto many of his paintings, his sculptures seem to have a universal quality. The idea here is superior over the specifics, and the artistic expression is stronger than the details. Did Guirguis realize this, and that is why he wrote Arabic phrases on the abdomen of one of his figures, and on the head of another, to show that the sculptor is originally Arab? In any case, each artist drew the philosophy of his person’s life and reality from similar philosophy. Yes, there is no art without philosophy.

While philosophy is confusing, the philosophical expression of both Giacometti and Guirguis does not confuse you.

The expression is as clear as the fundamental principles of philosophy held by man, any man, one that he expresses but fails to realize the unknown reasons.

Despite Sobhy Guirguis’ declared love for English sculptor Henry Moore and Italian

. ‫ﺳﺒﺎب ﺷﺘﻰ ﻣﻌﺮوﻓﺔ‬f ‫ﻳﺪرﻛﻬﺎ‬ ‫ ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﺮﻏﻢ ﻣﻤﺎ أﻋﻠﻨﻪ ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ‬، ‫ﻛﺬا‬ “‫ﻧﺠﻠﻴﺰي ”ﻫﻨﺮي ﻣﻮر‬s‫ﻣﻦ ﺣﺒﻪ ﻟﻠﻨﺤﺎﺗﻴﻦ ا‬ ‫ إﻻ أﻧﻨﻲ أراه ﻣﺨﺘﻠﻔﺎ‬، “‫ﻳﻄﺎﻟﻲ ”ﻣﺎرﻳﻨﻮ ﻣﺎرﻳﻨﻰ‬s‫وا‬ ‫ وﻻ ﻳﻌﻨﻰ ﺗﻘﺎﻃﻊ ﻋﻤﻞ ﻟﺼﺒﺤﻲ ﻣﻊ‬. ‫ﻋﻨﻬﻤﺎ‬ ‫ ﻣﺜﻞ ﺗﻘﺎﻃﻊ‬. ‫ي ﻣﻨﻬﻤﺎ أﻧﻪ ﻳﺸﺒﻬﻪ‬f ‫ﻋﻤﻞ‬ ” ‫اﻟﻮﺿﻊ اﻟﺸﻬﻴﺮ ” اﻟﻤﺘﻜﺊ ” ﻓﻲ ﻣﻨﺤﻮﺗﺎت‬ ‫ﻣﻮر ” ﻣﻊ وﺿﻊ ﻣﻨﺤﻮﺗﺔ أو أﻛﺜﺮ ﻟﺪى ” ﺟﺮﺟﺲ‬ ” ‫ أو رﺳﻢ ﺣﺼﺎن وراﻛﺒﻪ ﻋﻨﺪ ” ﻣﺎرﻳﻨﻰ ” و‬، ” ‫ ﻫﺬه وﺿﻌﻴﺎت وﻣﻮﺿﻮﻋﺎت ﺗﻜﺮرت‬. ” ‫ﺟﺮﺟﺲ‬ ‫ وﻻ ﻳﻌﻨﻰ ذﻟﻚ أﻧﻬﻢ‬، ‫ﻋﻨﺪ ﻛﺜﻴﺮ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻔﻨﺎﻧﻴﻦ‬ ‫ اﻟﻔﺎرق اﻟﻮاﺿﺢ ﺑﻴﻦ ﺻﺒﺤﻲ‬. ‫ﻣﺘﺸﺎﺑﻬﻮن‬ ‫ﺟﺮﺟﺲ وﻏﻴﺮه ﻣﻦ اﻟﻔﻨﺎﻧﻴﻦ اﻟﻜﺒﺎر ﻓﻲ اﻟﻌﺎﻟﻢ‬ ، ‫ ﻋﻦ ﻃﻔﻮﻟﺘﻪ اﻟﻤﺼﺮﻳﺔ‬، ‫أﻧﻪ ﻳﻌﺒﺮ ﻋﻦ ﻣﺼﺮﻳﺘﻪ‬ ‫وﻋﻦ ﺷﺨﺼﻴﺎت اﻟﺤﻜﺎﻳﺎت اﻟﺸﻌﺒﻴﺔ اﻟﻤﺼﺮﻳﺔ‬ ، ‫) ﻻﺣﻆ ﻣﺜﻼ ﻟﻮﺣﺔ ﻣﺰﺧﺮﻓﺔ ﺳﻤﺎﻫﺎ اﻟﻨﺴﻴﺞ‬ ‫ واﻟﺤﻜﺎﻳﺎت‬، ( ‫وﺗﻤﺜﺎل ﺳﻤﺎه ﻣﺼﻴﺮ إﻧﺴﺎن‬ ‫اﻟﻴﻮﻣﻴﺔ اﻟﻮاﻗﻌﻴﺔ اﻟﻤﺼﺮﻳﺔ )اﺳﺘﻨﺘﺠﻬﺎ ﻣﻦ‬ ‫ ﺑﻞ ﻫﻨﺎك ﺗﺄﺛﻴﺮ ﻓﺮﻋﻮﻧﻲ‬، ( ‫ﻟﻮﺣﺎت وﺗﻤﺎﺛﻴﻞ ﻋﺪة‬ ‫وآﺧﺮ ﻗﺒﻄﻲ ﻓﻲ ﺑﻌﺾ ﻣﻦ ﻟﻮﺣﺎﺗﻪ ) ﺣﺎول أن‬ ‫ ﻣﺜﻠﻤﺎ ﻋﺒﺮ اﻟﻔﻨﺎﻧﻮن اﻟﻐﺮﺑﻴﻮن‬. ( ‫ﺗﻜﺘﺸﻔﻬﻤﺎ‬ ‫اﻟﻜﺒﺎر اﻟﺬﻳﻦ ذﻛﺮت أﺳﻤﺎءﻫﻢ ﻫﻨﺎ ﻋﻦ‬ ‫ ﻫﻮ ﻋﺒﺮ ﻋﻦ ﻣﺼﺮﻳﺘﻪ‬، ‫ﻣﺠﺘﻤﻌﺎﺗﻬﻢ اﻟﻐﺮﺑﻴﺔ‬ ‫ اﻟﺘﻌﺒﻴﺮ ﻣﺨﺘﻠﻒ‬. ‫ وﻫﻢ ﻋﺒﺮوا ﻋﻦ ﻏﺮﺑﻴﺘﻬﻢ‬،

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sculptor Marino Marini, I find him to be different. The intersection between their works does not imply that he resembles them. For example, there is a similarity between the famous “reclining” position in Moore’s sculptures and one or more of Guirguis’ sculptures, and between the painting of a horse and jockey in Marini’s and in Guirguis’ “The Circus”.

The clear difference between Sobhy Guirguis and other artists worldwide is that he expresses his Egyptian identity.

He reveals his Egyptian childhood and the characters in national folk tales as seen in e.g “Textile” painting or “The Fate of Mankind” sculpture and the daily reallife stories from Egypt (that I spot in much of his repertoire). There is a Pharaonic and Coptic influence as well in some of his paintings (try to spot them yourself).

In the same way that these prominent Western artists expressed the identity of their western societies, he expressed his Egyptian identity. The mode of expression is different yet the language is the same: creativity through form.

So, who is Sobhy Guirguis?

He is bigger and wider than what I have

tried to present here in the confines of limited space. For any limited space cannot contain a life filled with creativity.

Especially for someone who has not received, during his life, what he deserved in terms of analysis and description, or criticisms and documentation, because he has, like his contemporaries in Egyptian art in the second half of the previous century, emerged as a rare plant amid a swamp.

They were not lucky enough to emerge in a garden worthy of their kind. This view of mine is not affected by the fact that he received the state prize in arts later than he deserved (2008) for state prizes in Egypt mean very little to me. He created a fascinating world, which someone like me enjoys to visit from time to time, and to save it in the corners of my consciousness with other keepsakes acquired throughout the journey of life of inspiring objects, making up the emotional spiritual energy.

January 2014

‫ﺑﺪاع ﺑﺎﻟﺘﺸﻜﻴﻞ‬s‫ ﻟﻐﺔ ا‬: ‫وﻟﻜﻦ اﻟﻠﻐﺔ واﺣﺪة‬ ‫إذن ﻣﻦ ﻫﻮ ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ ؟‬ ‫ﻫﻮ أﻛﺒﺮ وأﻛﺜﺮ اﺗﺴﺎﻋﺎ ﻣﻤﺎ ﺣﺎوﻟﺖ ﺗﻮﺿﻴﺤﻪ‬ ‫ن‬f . ‫ﻓﻴﻤﺎ ﺳﺒﻖ ﻓﻲ ﺣﺪود ﻣﺴﺎﺣﺔ ﻣﺤﺪودة‬ ‫أﻳﺔ ﻣﺴﺎﺣﺔ ﻣﺤﺪدة ﻻ ﻳﻤﻜﻨﻬﺎ أن ﺗﺴﺘﻮﻋﺐ‬ ‫ وﺑﺨﺎﺻﺔ ﻟﻤﻦ ﻟﻢ ﻳﺄﺧﺬ‬. ‫ﺑﺪاع‬s‫ﻋﺎﻟﻤﺎ ﻛﺎﻣﻼ ﻣﻦ ا‬ ‫ وﻻ ﻣﻦ‬، ‫ﺣﻘﻪ ﻓﻲ ﺣﻴﺎﺗﻪ ﻣﻦ اﻟﺸﺮح واﻟﺘﺤﻠﻴﻞ‬ ‫ ﻛﺄﻣﺜﺎﻟﻪ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻤﺒﺪﻋﻴﻦ‬، ‫ﻧﻪ‬f ، ‫اﻟﻨﻘﺪ واﻟﺘﺄرﻳﺦ‬ ‫ﺧﻴﺮ‬f‫ ﻓﻲ ﻧﺼﻒ اﻟﻘﺮن ا‬، ‫اﻟﻤﺼﺮﻳﻴﻦ اﻟﻜﺒﺎر‬ ، ‫ ﻇﻬﺮوا ﻛﻨﺒﺎﺗﺎت ﻧﺎدرة ﻓﻲ ﻣﺴﺘﻨﻘﻊ‬، ‫ﺗﻘﺮﻳﺒﺎ‬ ‫ن ﻳﻈﻬﺮوا ﻓﻲ ﺣﺪﻳﻘﺔ‬f ‫ﻟﻢ ﻳﺤﺎﻟﻔﻬﻢ اﻟﺤﻆ‬ ‫ وﻻ ﻳﺆﺛﺮ ﻓﻲ ﻫﺬا اﻟﺮأي ﺣﺼﻮﻟﻪ‬. ‫ﺗﻨﺎﺳﺒﻬﻢ‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻰ ﺟﺎﺋﺰة اﻟﺪوﻟﺔ اﻟﺘﻘﺪﻳﺮﻳﺔ ﻓﻲ اﻟﻔﻨﻮن‬ ‫ ( ﻓﺠﻮاﺋﺰ اﻟﺪوﻟﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻣﺼﺮ ﻻ‬2008 ) ‫ﻣﺘﺄﺧﺮة ﺟﺪا‬ . ‫ﺗﻌﻨﻰ ﻋﻨﺪي ﺗﻘﺪﻳﺮا ﺣﻘﻴﻘﻴﺎ ﻟﻠﺤﺎﺻﻞ ﻋﻠﻴﻬﺎ‬ ‫ﻫﻮ ﻣﻦ ﺧﻠﻖ ﻋﺎﻟﻤﻪ اﻟﻤﻤﺘﻊ اﻟﻤﺪﻫﺶ اﻟﺬي‬ ، ‫ﻳﺤﺐ واﺣﺪ ﻣﺜﻠﻰ أن ﻳﺰوره ﻣﻦ ﺣﻴﻦ إﻟﻰ آﺧﺮ‬ ‫وﻳﺤﻔﻈﻪ ﻓﻲ ﺣﻨﺎﻳﺎ ﻻ وﻋﻴﻪ ﻣﻊ ﻣﺎ ﻳﺤﺎﻓﻆ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ‬ ‫ ﻣﻜﻮﻧﺔ ﻃﺎﻗﺘﻪ‬، ‫ﻓﻲ رﺣﻠﺔ اﻟﺤﻴﺎة ﻣﻦ ﻣﺆﺛﺮات‬ . ‫اﻟﺮوﺣﻴﺔ اﻟﻌﺎﻃﻔﻴﺔ‬ 2014 ‫ﻳﻨﺎﻳﺮ‬ ‫ﺳﻤـﻴﺮ ﻏﺮﻳـﺐ‬ ‫ﻣﺌﺴﺲ اﻟﺠﻤﻌﻴﺔ اﻟﻤﺼﺮﻳﺔ ﻟﻨﻘﺎد اﻟﻔﻦ اﻟﺘﺸﻜﻴﻠﻰ‬

Samir Gharib

‫ﻋﻀﻮ اﻟﻤﺠﻤﻊ اﻟﻌﻠﻤﻲ اﻟﻤﺼﺮي‬

Founder Egyptian Association for contemporary art critics Member of L’ Institut d’Egypte

THE HUMAN BEING Bronze 36

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A GREAT ARTIST

by MOSTAFA RAZZAZZ Sobhy Guirguis with former minister of culture Farouk Hosny

RECLINING WOMAN Bronze

From left to right: Sobhy Guirguis, Zeinab El Seguiny, Gazbia Sirry, Abdel Hadi Al Weshahi, Hamed Nada and his wife, Hind Shalaby Mid 1980’s

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I felt sorrow upon learning recently of the passing of my beloved brother, the noble artist Sobhy Guirguis.

Guirguis walked out of our lives with the same calmness he lived with, all his life.

I remember him now as an individual carrying a heavy weight on his lean body, a man full of passion and emotions, dignity and modesty. And all these are the features of the Egyptian man such as the peasant who combines humility and pride.

Sobhy Guirguis was a luminous face within the Egyptian arts scene. He had a distinctive accent and tempo in his voice that one would recognize before you would see him. When you saw him, you would find a strained yet radiant face greeting you with warmth and zeal. Sobhy Guirguis is, I think, one of the greatest sculptors of modern Egypt. A sculptor of the highest level, if not the rarest of forms.

His artistic experience is long, complex and rich. He always sought diversification

‫اﻧﺘﺎﺑﻨﻲ ﺷﻌﻮر ﺣﺰﻳﻦ ﻋﻨﺪﻣﺎ ﻋﻠﻤﺖ ﻣﺘﺄﺧﺮا‬ ‫ﻋﻦ ﻓﻘﺪان أﺧﻲ اﻟﺤﺒﻴﺐ اﻟﻔﻨﺎن اﻟﻨﺒﻴﻞ اﻟﻘﺪﻳﺮ‬ ‫ اﻧﺴﺤﺐ ﻣﻦ ﺣﻴﺎﺗﻨﺎ ﺑﺬات‬.‫ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ‬ .‫اﻟﻬﺪوء اﻟﻬﺎﻣﺲ اﻟﺬي ﻋﺎﺷﻪ ﺑﻴﻨﻨﺎ ﻛﺎﻟﻄﻴﻒ‬ ‫ﺟﻬﺎد ﻋﻠﻰ وﺟﻬﻪ‬s‫ﺗﺤﻀﺮﻧﻲ ﻣﻼﻣﺢ اﻟﺤﺰن وا‬ ‫ وﻛﺮاﻣﺔ‬،‫ وﻋﺎﻃﻔﺔ ﺟﻴﺎﺷﺔ‬،‫وﺑﺪﻧﻪ اﻟﻨﺤﻴﻞ‬ ‫ إﻧﻬﺎ ﺷﺨﺼﻴﺔ اﻟﻤﺼﺮي ﻣﻨﺬ‬.‫واﺛﻘﺔ ﻻ ﺗﻤﺲ‬ ‫ ﻓﻲ ذات‬،‫ ﺷﻤﻢ‬،‫ ﺗﻮاﺿﻊ‬،‫اﻟﻔﻼح اﻟﻔﺼﻴﺢ وﻗﺒﻠﻪ‬ .‫اﻟﺘﻮﻟﻴﻔﺔ اﻟﺸﺨﺼﻴﺔ‬ .‫ﻛﺎن ﺻﺒﺤﻲ وﺟﻪ ﻣﻀﻲء ﻓﻲ اﻟﺤﺮﻛﺔ اﻟﻔﻨﻴﺔ‬ ‫ﻛﺎن ﻳﺘﻤﺘﻊ ﺑﻠﻜﻨﺔ ﺧﺎﺻﺔ وإﻳﻘﺎع ﻣﻤﻴﺰ ﻳﻨﻄﻠﻖ‬ ‫ ﺣﻴﺚ‬،‫ﺻﻮﺗﻪ ﻓﺘﻌﺮﻓﻪ ﻋﻦ ﺑﻌﺪ وﻗﺒﻞ أن ﺗﺮاه‬ ‫ﻳﺸﺮق وﺟﻬﻪ اﻟﻤﺠﻬﺪ اﻟﺼﺒﻮح ﺑﺎﻟﺘﺤﻴﺔ‬ ‫ ﺗﺘﻘﺎذف اﻟﻜﻠﻤﺎت وﺗﺘﻌﺜﺮ ﻣﻦ ﻓﺮط‬،‫واﻟﻤﺤﺒﺔ‬ .‫ﺣﻤﺎﺳﺘﻪ‬ ‫ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ ﻓﻴﻤﺎ أرى واﺣﺪ ﻣﻦ أﻋﻈﻢ‬ ،‫ﻋﻠﻰ‬f‫ ﻧﺤﺎت ﻣﻦ اﻟﻤﻘﺎم ا‬.‫ﻧﺤﺎﺗﻲ ﻣﺼﺮ اﻟﺤﺪﻳﺜﺔ‬ ،‫ ﺗﺠﺮﺑﺘﻪ اﻟﻔﻨﻴﺔ ﻃﻮﻳﻠﺔ وﻣﺘﺸﻌﺒﺔ‬.‫ﺑﻞ واﻟﻨﺎدر‬ ‫ﻟﺪﻳﻪ وﻟﻊ ﺑﺎﻟﺨﺎﻣﺎت وﺑﺤﺚ ﻓﻲ اﺑﺘﻜﺎر ﻃﺮاﺋﻖ‬ ‫اﻟﺘﺸﻜﻴﻞ وﻣﻌﺎﻟﺠﺔ اﻟﻔﻮرم واﻟﺸﺮﻳﺤﺔ‬ ‫ وﻗﺮاءﺗﻪ‬،‫ واﻟﺮﻣﺰﻳﺔ‬،‫ واﻟﺮﺳﻢ واﻟﺘﻠﻮﻳﻦ‬،‫اﻟﻤﻠﺘﻔﺔ‬ ‫ﻧﺴﺎﻧﻲ اﻟﻔﻄﺮي واﻟﻘﺒﻄﻲ‬s‫اﻟﻌﻤﻴﻘﺔ ﻟﻠﻔﻦ ا‬ .‫ﻓﺮﻳﻘﻲ‬f‫وا‬

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in craftsmanship and innovation in the methods used in making sculptures, such as forming and processing; in drawing and coloring; in the symbolism in his oeuvre, and he had a superior knowledge of primitive, Coptic and African art.

Sobhy Guirguis is the vanguard of expressionism in Egyptian modern sculpture, together with very few others such as Kamal Khalifa and Mohammed Mustafa.

Beside the profound subject matters in their oeuvre, the energy, the emotions and the expressive pulse found in the works of Kamal Khalifa and Sobhy Guirguis set them apart from all other Egyptian sculptors. In front of the works of Sobhy Guirguis, one feels as if iron, copper and bronze turn into living creatures - one can almost hear the moans of some kind, the smell of sweat, and an enormous psychological energy, deriving from Guirguis’ unrestrained freedom, pushing one’s feelings and conscience to the extreme.

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‫ﻓﺈن ”ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ“ ﻳﻌﺪ ﻣﻦ ﻃﻠﻴﻌﺔ‬ ‫اﻟﺘﻌﺒﻴﺮﻳﻦ ﻓﻲ اﻟﻨﺤﺖ اﻟﻤﺼﺮي اﻟﺤﺪﻳﺚ ﻣﻊ‬ ‫ ﻛﻤﺎل‬.‫ﻋﺪد ﻗﻠﻴﻞ ﺟﺪا ﻣﻦ اﻟﻨﺤﺎﺗﻴﻦ اﻟﻤﺼﺮﻳﻴﻦ‬ ‫ ﻫﺠﺮس وﺑﻌﺾ‬،‫ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﻣﺼﻄﻔﻰ‬،‫ﺧﻠﻴﻔﺔ‬ ‫ أﻋﺪاد أﻗﻞ ﻣﻦ ﻋﺪد أﺻﺎﺑﻊ‬.‫أﻋﻤﺎل ﻧﺤﺎﺗﻴﻦ أﺧﺮﻳﻦ‬ ‫ ﻧﻀﻊ ﻛﻤﺎل ﺧﻠﻴﻔﺔ وﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ ﻓﻲ‬.‫اﻟﻴﺪ‬ ‫ﻧﻬﻢ ﺗﻌﺒﻴﺮﻳﻴﻦ ﺑﺎﻟﻨﺒﺾ واﻟﻄﺎﻗﺔ‬f ‫ﻣﻘﺪﻣﺘﻬﻢ‬ ‫ وﻟﻴﺲ ﻓﻘﻂ ﻓﻲ ﺗﻨﺎول ﻣﻮﺿﻮﻋﺎت‬،‫واﻟﻤﺸﺎﻋﺮ‬ .‫دراﻣﻴﺔ‬ ‫أﻣﺎم أﻋﻤﺎل ”ﺻﺒﺤﻲ ﺟﺮﺟﺲ“ ﺗﺸﻌﺮ وﻛﺄن‬ ‫اﻟﺼﺎج واﻟﻨﺤﺎس واﻟﺒﺮوﻧﺰ ﺗﺤﻮﻟﺖ إﻟﻰ ﺷﺨﻮص‬ ‫ ﺗﻜﺎد ﺗﺴﻤﻊ أﻧﻴﻦ‬،‫ﻗﻴﺪت ﻧﻔﺴﻬﺎ ﺑﺄﻃﺮاﻓﻬﺎ‬ ‫ ﻃﺎﻗﺔ‬،‫ وﺗﻜﺎد ﺗﺸﻢ راﺋﺤﺔ اﻟﻌﺮق‬،‫ﻣﻦ ﻧﻮع ﻣﺎ‬ ‫ رﻏﻢ اﻟﻤﻌﺎﻟﺠﺎت‬،‫ ﻋﻀﻮﻳﺔ ﺑﻘﻮة‬،‫ﻧﻔﺴﻴﺔ ﺟﺒﺎرة‬ ‫اﻟﺘﺸﻜﻴﻠﻴﺔ اﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﺸﻄﺢ ﺑﺤﺮﻳﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺗﺮﺟﻤﺔ‬ ‫ وﻟﻜﻨﻬﺎ ﺗﺘﻨﻔﺲ‬،‫ﺻﺎﺑﻊ إﻟﻰ ﻣﺎ ﻳﺸﺒﻪ اﻟﻤﺬراة‬f‫ا‬ .‫وﺗﻀﻐﻂ ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻤﺸﺎﻋﺮ واﻟﻀﻤﻴﺮ‬

We have lost an unconventional pioneering artist, one of the pillars in Egyptian modern sculpture but we have gained through his legacy, the Egyptian genius of the quiet modest monumental man.

Dr Mostafa Razzazz Author and critic

،‫ﻟﻘﺪ ﻓﻘﺪﻧﺎ ﻫﺬا اﻟﻔﻨﺎن اﻟﺮاﺋﺪ اﻟﻔﺮﻳﺪ ﻣﻦ ﻧﻮﻋﻪ‬ ‫أﺣﺪ ﻗﻤﻢ اﻟﻨﺤﺖ اﻟﻤﺼﺮي اﻟﻤﻌﺎﺻﺮ وﻟﻜﻨﻨﺎ‬ ‫رﺑﺤﻨﺎه ﻓﻲ ﺗﺮاﺛﻪ اﻟﺸﺎﻫﺪ ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻌﺒﻘﺮﻳﺔ‬ ‫اﻟﻤﺼﺮﻳﺔ اﻟﻬﺎدﺋﺔ اﻟﻤﺘﻮاﺿﻌﺔ اﻟﺸﺎﻣﺨﺔ ﻓﻲ‬ .‫ﻛﻴﺎن ﻣﺘﺠﺎﻧﺲ‬ ‫ ﻣﺼﻄﻔﻲ اﻟﺮزاز‬.‫د‬ ‫ﻧﺎﻗﺪ ﻓﻨﻰ و ﻛﺘﺐ‬

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THE MUSIC OF FORM

by SOBHY SHAROUNY

Sobhy Guirguis was raised in a quasi-musical environment. His father was a famous Nai player in Om Kolthoum band. At a very young age, Guirguis mastered playing both the Nai and the Qanoun and later the keyboard. His deep knowledge of music influenced his work all through his career.

Sobhy Girguis’ style in making his metal sculptures is a pioneering addition to the methods of sculpting in Egypt. He made his sculptures from wax rather than clay, and then surrounded the wax with a mold of materials that could bear the high heat of melting metal. As the wax model melted, Guirguis would fill bronze after which he would break the mold to find an identical sculpture to the wax model. This style was unprecedented in Egypt.

At first, the works of Sobhy Guirguis used to shock the audience. Yet he persisted in his quest to innovate. Along the years and after sufficient exposure, the works of Sobhy Guirguis became a landmark in Egyptian contemporary art. Guirguis repeatedly said that art is about conception and invention, which in fact could be in contradiction with reality. An artist is affected by reality but never submits to or indulges in or even becomes part of it. Guirguis would rebel to express his independent vision – the struggle between the mass and the surrounding void, a kind of abstract conflict but essentially, the foundation of Sobhy Guirguis work.

Dr Sobhy Sharouny Author and Art Critic MANTRA 42

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Artwork

Hope

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“And despite their child-like appearance, Sobhy Guirguis’works bring forth a compelling, mature feeling in his call to face the unknown.”

Ezz el Din Naguib Art critic, author and President of the Assala Association for Protection of Artistic Heritage, since 1994

THE MERCIFUL Brass 98 x 38 x 45 cm

TWOSOME Oil on canvas 98 x 68 cm 46

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PRAYER Bronze 37 x 19 x 19 cm

FLOWER, Oil on canvas 48

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TRANQUILITY Bronze 69x19x21cm

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LOVE Oil on canvas 100 x 70 cm

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PRAYER II Brass 42 x 47 x 28 cm

STROLLING WOMAN Brass 50 x 48 x 48 cm 52

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“Sobhy Guirguis’ extraordinary dedication to the human plight puts him at par with the greatest artists

IF Bronze

of the world.”

23 x 18 x 10 cm

Makram Henein Art Critic and Author

IDEA Bronze 26 x 9 x 6 cm

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FORTUNE TELLERCUP READER Bronze and Brass 77 x 40 x 20 cm

EMBRACE Oil on canvas 98 x 68 cm 56

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PLAYFULNESS 23 x 9 x 6 cm

I LOVE YOU WITH FLOWERS Oil on canvas 71 x 101cm 58

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Artwork

the mother &the child

within

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“These works reveal the brilliance of an authentic Egyptian master. “ Makram Henein Art Critic and Author

MOTHERHOOD II, 1989 Oil on Canvas 123 x 102cm RED DRESS Oil on Canvas 82 x 62cm 62

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MOTHER & DAUGHTER Oil on canvas 78 x 59 cm

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MOTHERHOOD V Oil on canvas 122 x 103cm

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“I wish we could have a

Why don’t we wake up

Happiness day, just like

one day and celebrate

mother’s day or love’s

‘happiness’? I want

day.

every body to be happy.”

Sobhy Guirguis

INNOCENCE Oil on canvas 101 x 71cm

BLISS oil on canvas 120 x 101cm 66

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Artwork

the truth

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“People didn’t understand me or my work. It took a long time.”

Sobhy Guirguis

THE THINKER Brass 94 x 17 x 26 QUESTIONING Bronze 32 x 9 x 10 cm 70

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REST Brass 84 x 51 x 30cm

REST 101 x 71cm Oil on canvas 72

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WISDOM Bronze 50 x 34 x 20 cm

WOMAN AND ROOSTER. 1990 122 x 102cm Oil on canvas 74

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“I wanted to invent, create, break all the rules.”

Sobhy Guirguis

WHERE IS THE LIGHT? Brass 65 x 35 x 41 cm

MEDITATING Brass 96 x 41 x 44 cm

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THE THINKER Brass 149 x 50 x 40 cm

DIALOGUE III Oil on canvas 101 x 71cm ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE Brass 117 x 40 x 20 cm 78

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“ Sobhy Guirguis’ career is a testament to an unprecedented contribution to Egyptian contemporary arts. Grandson of the Pharaohs, Guirguis is like a priest who devoted his entire life to the altar of his art – sculptures that glorify the ordinary, the marginalized and the street children; that scream and demand their rights in life and their rights for a better future. “ Izhak Azmy Member, The International Council of Museums, IMCOM, UNESCO Founder, Shouna Art Complex in Alexandria, Egypt

REFUGE Brass and Bronze 70 x 20 x 13 cm

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SOUL MATE Brass 100 x 71 x 36 cm

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“All that is between us, how can we forget it, how?

What is between us, my love, is yet to come.

Forget about the past, forget Small talks, forget them, small talks of strangers, forget them Forget about stories and tales, forget But come with me, come, what is between us, my love, is yet to come I miss you my love, come, come, come My eyes are filled with happiness, and the smile is waiting for you My smile and I will listen to you, my happiness My eyes are filled with happiness But come with me, come, what is between us, my love is yet to come.

How can I forget, how?

What is between us, my love, is yet to come.

But come with me, come, what is between us my love, is yet to come.�

Sobhy Guirguis

ME, MYSELF AND I 68 x 88cm Oil on wood 82

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“Without Sobhy Guirguis, Egyptian sculpture would have suffered a significant void.“ Makram Henein Art Critic and Author

SILENCE Brass 66 x 22 x 13 cm

TIME 101 x 71cm Oil on canvas 84

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THE PROTECTOR Brass 148 x 33 x 40 cm 86

CONTEMPLATION Oil on canvas 120 x 100cm 87

SOBHY GUIRGUIS BIOGRAPHY Born 1929, Cairo, Egypt Passed away 2013, Cairo, Egypt 1964 PhD, Fine Arts Academy, Florence, Italy 1958 MFA, Fine Arts School, Helwan, Cairo, Egypt PERMANENT MUSEUM 1991 One Floor Museum Dedicated to the Works of Sobhy Guirguis, El Shouna Agamy, Alexandria, Cairo SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2007 Retrospective, Horizon One Ofok, Mahmoud Khalil Museum, Cairo, Egypt 2004 Rateb Sedik Gallery, Cairo Atelier, Cairo, Egypt 2002 Rateb Sedik Gallery, Cairo Atelier, Cairo, Egypt 1999 Espace Karim Francis, Downtown, Cairo, Egypt 1997 Espace Karim Francis, Downtown, Cairo, Egypt 1996 Duroub Gallery, Cairo, Egypt 1994 Extra Gallery, Cairo, Egypt 1994 Akhnaton Gallery, Gezira Art Center, Cairo, Egypt 1981 Akhnaton Gallery, Gezira Art Center, Cairo, Egypt 1971 Kasr El Nil, Cairo, Egypt 1971 Akhnaton Gallery, Kasr el Nil, Cairo, Egypt GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2009 Panorama Sculpture, Zamalek Art Gallery, Cairo, Egypt 2008 Salon d’Automne, Paris, France

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2008 Olympics Celebration, Peking, China 2008 Horizon One, Mahmoud Khalil Museum, Cairo, Egypt 2008 31st National Exhibition for Fine Arts, Opera House Arts Palace, Cairo, Egypt 2007 Awarded The Mubarak Prize for Arts 2007 Egyptian National Salon, Ministry of Culture, Cairo, Egypt 2006 “Towards The Sun”, 1st International Ecuador Arts Biennale, Quito, Ecuador 2006 Fenoon Art Gallery, Cairo, Zamalek 2005 29th National Exhibition for Fine Arts, Opera House Arts Palace, Cairo, Egypt 2005 Fine Arts Palace, El Qasr, Cairo, Egypt 2004 Cairo Atelier, Cairo, Egypt 2003 27th National Exhibition for Fine Arts, Opera House Arts Palace, Cairo, Egypt 2002 Small Artworks at the Center of Art Cairo, Egypt 2002 Espace Karim Francis, Cairo, Egypt 2002 Honorary Guest At Hamed Nada In Memory Exhibition, Cairo, Egypt 2001 53rd Cairo Atelier Salon, Downtown, Cairo, Egypt 2001 26th National Exhibition for Fine Arts, Opera House Arts Palace, Cairo, Egypt 1999 4th Sharjah International Arts Biennale, Sharjah, UAE 1999 Honorary Guest, Aswan Sculpture Symposium, Aswan, Egypt 1998 Centennial Anniversary of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Cairo, Egypt. Honorary Award.

1997 7th Salon for Art and Design, Egyptian Institute for Art and Design, Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt 1997 25th National Exhibition for Fine Arts, Opera House Arts Palace, Cairo, Egypt 1995 24th National Exhibition for Fine Arts, Opera House Arts Palace, Cairo, Egypt 1994 Sculpture, Extra Gallery, Cairo, Egypt 1994 5th Cairo International Biennale, Opera House Arts Palace, Cairo, Egypt. Awarded Grand Jury Prize 1994 18th Alexandria Biennale for Mediterranean Fine Arts, Alexandria, Egypt. Awarded Sculpture Grand Prize 1994 Gezirah Art Center with Taha Hussein and Mostafa Razzaz, Cairo, Egypt 1991 Italian Culture Center, Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt 1990 21st National Exhibition for Fine Arts, Akhnaton Center of Art, Cairo, Egypt 1976 Venice Biennale, Egyptian Pavilion, Venice, Italy 1975 Arab Contemporary Artists Exhibition, Kuwait 1973 International Gymnastics Exhibition, Madrid, Spain. Awarded Honorary Prize PUBLIC ART October 1973 War Panorama, Egyptian Armed Forces, Ministry of Defense, Cairo, Egypt Humanity Sculpture, next to Aswan Airport, Aswan, Egypt Cairo Metro Underground Egyptian Museum for Modern Art, Opera House, Cairo, Egypt Danshoway Museum, Delta, Egypt Shouna Art Museum, Agamy, Alexandria, Egypt

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Catalogue published on the occasion of the show Sobhy Guirguis The Self and The Other 04-25 February 2014

Graphic concept & Realization:

ABOUT ARTTALKS

Texts: Izhac Azmy Samir Gharib Fatenn Mostafa Mostafa Razzazz Sobhy Sharouny Translations: Sara ElKamel Farag Mohammed Saad

Founded in 2010, ARTTALKS | EGYPT is a contemporary art gallery established in Cairo. Acting as a selective search engine for Egypt’s next generation of contemporary artists, the gallery is committed to the defense of freedom of art in Egypt and to strengthen Egypt’s position on the regional art map. Additionally, the gallery has established itself as an authority on high quality secondary market works by twentieth century Egyptian masters. ArtTalks manages the estate of the late painter and sculptor Sobhy Guirguis.

Part of ArtTalks income is channeled into an Art Fund to support emerging artists and to finance an extensive educational program aimed at growing the number of art collectors and art patrons in Egypt. A yearly curriculum on the history of Egyptian modern and contemporary art takes place at the Gallery targeting art lovers, artists, art critics and collectors.

Maysoon Mahfoudh Photographs: Ehab Sobhy Guirguis Lisa Lounis Printing: Concorde Press

Family of late artist Sobhy Guirguis All rights Reserved www.arttalks.com Cover The Thinker and The Merciful

ArtTalks is founded by arts patron Fatenn Mostafa, former CEO of Gianaclis Vineyards for Beverages and former advisor to Bozar, Center of Fine Arts in Brussels, Belgium. She is a regular lecturer on Egyptian modern art history and has curated several fund-raising auctions in support of non-profit independent art spaces in Cairo. .

Brass, Private collections

“The art of Sobhy Guirguis needs to move out from the Nile Banks to the rest of the world, as an Ambassador of Egypt.”

Mohamed Abdel Kader Hatem, former Minister of Culture and Media.

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ARTTALKS | EGYPT 8 el Kamel Mohamed Street Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt +20227363948 +201005550585 info@arttalks.com www.arttalks.com 92