Sheikha Jawaher opens exhibition at Sharjah Art Museum

Sharjah-On Monday, Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi presented an art exhibition that highlights the distinct beauty of Egypt’s people and places at the renowned Sharjah Art Museum.

Titled ‘Reflections from Egypt,’ the solo exhibition by the Egyptian Artist Zeinab Amer was launched on April 7 and is set to run until June 30, 2014.

Presented through an overview on the Arab World’s artistic trends, the exhibition reflects the spirit of the people and places of Egypt through a combination of colours and lines that embody the richness and creativity of that part of the world, something very close to the artist’s heart. Known for her optimism, Amer’s collection of stunning images stimulates the viewer’s eye with artworks that recreate fleeting moments – from the bustle of busy streets to the minutiae routine of day-to-day life.

Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi expressed her admiration by saying: “The diverse middle eastern societies shown in the paintings are appealing in color. Some of these paintings reminded me of the old souqs like Khan El-Khalili. Those vibrant colors reflected the joy people felt in that era and hopefully spreads the joy to our people now.”

Amer’s works reflect the spirit of the Egyptian environment with its countryside and cities, land and sea, through a combination of rich colours and lines which embody its peculiarity and approach the essence of the life we live. As she sees it, her paintings are full of the life that inspired her visual and expressive vocabulary, as she re-creates all that she sees in a fleeting moment, using only her brushes in an attempt to immortalise those moments and give them a more beautiful and enduring form. From the bustle of surrounding objects and people’s indulgence in their lives, details and reflections, Zeinab Amer composes her visual material, and formulates her aesthetic and emotional project.

Zeinab Amer herself is thrilled about the opening of the exhibition. “These paintings reflect my love for the Egyptian landscape and people. I have travelled widely and spent time with people to try to capture the simple joy of everyday Egyptian life, from Nubia in southern Egypt, the Siwa Oasis, the beaches of Alexandria, and various poor neighbourhoods in the cities, bustling with lives of people who struggle with adversity everyday but still manage to smile.”

“I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Sharjah Museums for providing me the opportunity for my first international solo exhibition, and I look forward to this being the first of many future collaborations,” she said.

The Cairo-born artist, whose career started in the early 1990s, has presented 10 solo exhibitions and participated in a number of group exhibitions in the last decade. She also serves as a member of several committees of art exhibitions in Egypt, including the Union of Egyptian Workers, and her works have been acquired by a number of international embassies and Egyptian institutions. The ‘Reflections from Egypt’ catalogue is also available at the Sharjah Art Museum.