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| Ahmed Askalany Written by Francesca Sullivan | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| For many who toured the Nitaq Downtown Festival earlier this year, one quiet, simple work made a lasting impression. Ahmed Askalany’s row of stooped, praying figures, woven in wicker had such a powerful presence you could hardly fail to be moved. Strong, physical, and imbued with an aura so tangible that it filled the room, the figures were a testament to Askalany’s capacity for capturing a moment and containing its essence. In his latest solo exhibition this month at Mashrabeya Gallery, he returns to the medium which first brought him to the public’s attention: clay. It’s also the medium that brought his artistic creations to his family’s attention back in his home town of Qina, near Luxor, where he would fashion farm animals and dolls out of clay to amuse his little sister. "The local people used to tell me it was haram, but my uncle, who was a Sheikh, disagreed and supported my art. So did my mother, who later used to give me money to buy plaster to work with." Askalany arrived in Cairo in 1995 with barely a penny in his pocket. But he had already participated in a sculpture competition at the Ministry of Culture, and in 1998, he won first prize in Ceramics Biennale Youth Section. He may live in Cairo now, but it’s Askalany’s close, harmonious connection to his roots that gives power and warmth to his work. This exhibition features small clay sculptures of fat people – characters that are part of the community where he grew up; the roly-poly, feel-good physicality that remains the reality and the norm within rural societies. It’s in many ways a culture of accepted obesity, and one to which he pays homage. "Before, my sculptures were thin and miserable. Now they’re fat and happy," he laughs. "There’s an important relationship also between being wealthy and being fat. For example, I make the local omda the fattest of all, to represent his power within the community." The figures are not merely static. They cavort, play, and go about their daily lives, while Askalany catches them in moments that perfectly set off their wonderful folds and curves. His talent lies in observing and capturing physical attitude while remaining perfectly true to the spirit of each character. Aalborg hotels As you enter the gallery, the smaller room to the right has been section off into a special exhibit entitled, "The Rat Room". "When we were little at school we were always told, ‘if you’re naughty you’ll be put in the Rat Room’," he explains. "I’ve filled the space with nearly 150 ceramic rats, or mice, to conjure up that feeling of dread." Far from being scary however, Askalany’s mice are actually pretty cute, with pointy noses and long whiskers, and he confesses with a giggle that he secretly finds them sweet. It seems his art can’t help but reflect his positive view of the world. Though he may have no formal training, he is an artist whose ability to shape his imagination into reality works so naturally, the result is both charming and irresistible.
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| Manchester accommodationOther sections in Living: Literature: The biography of mystical poet and saint, Ibn Al Farid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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