Giovanna Montalbetti enjoys the complementary work of two very different photographers It is hard to see Egypt abandoning its spiritual legacy. Its history has forever been intertwined with the names of Pharaonic gods, Horus, Ra, Isis. Under Akhenaton it saw the birth of monotheism and if the Pharaoh's doctrine did not last long -- Egypt's sober landscapes were soon bearing silent witness to the return of the ancient gods -- the monotheistic concept had nonetheless revolutionised the way man understood his universe. The Egyptian people would subsequently embrace Christianity and later Islam. Egypt retains its Pharaonic, Christian, Jewish and Muslim identities not only in its artistic and historical patrimony but also in the peaceful coexistence of the diverse religions that have cohabited in Egypt for centuries. It is self evident that religion played a major role in the shaping of Egyptian history. But has the influence been reciprocal? What is Egypt's significance to religion? It is well known that the Islamic world has looked upon Egypt as a guiding light for centuries, the Al-Azhar mosque being its brightest beacon. Egypt has played a major role in Christianity too: it is mentioned over 600 times in the Bible, not only as the setting of some of the Bible's most important episodes but as a constant reference to keep in mind. It provided sanctuary for the Holy Family as they fled from King Herod's persecution, becoming the only country Jesus Christ ever walked upon, except for his homeland area in what is now modern Palestine. The church of Egypt was founded by Saint Mark the Evangelist, the see of Alexandria being established in the fourth century AD as the cathedra Marci ("the chair of Mark"). His remains rested in Alexandria until they were stolen, in part at least -- some Copts maintain the apostle's head is still in Alexandria -- by two Venetian merchants in 828 AD. Next to Easter, Christmas is the most significant date in the Christian calendar, marking the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is celebrated around the globe though there is a calendar divergence between the Catholic and Coptic/Orthodox traditions resulting in a two-week difference between the marking of the feast. Given the strength of the bonds between Egypt and the church it is not surprising that the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, since its opening in 2002, has offered a variety of Christmas-related activities to savour during the season. As part of this year's celebrations the Arts Centre of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina is holding an exhibition, Ecclesiastical Spirituality, comprising work by photographers Sherif Sonbol and Xenia Nikolskaya. The exhibit will be on display in the West Exhibition Hall of the Bibliotheca. It opens on 18 December and runs until 4 January 2009. A resident of Sweden, Nikolskaya was born in 1973 in Russia where she graduated from the Academy of Art in St Petersburg. She then studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. She has worked professionally as a photographer since 1995. In collaboration with other photographers Nikolskaya began to experiment with photographing art and restoration details. The works in the exhibition, she says, comprise "a creative journey in the genre of restoration and documentary photography, a dialogue with art". It is a dialogue in which Nikolskaya tries to bring modern audiences closer to traditional forms of art by creating a sensual experience in which the spectator is immersed in the richness of the details isolated in her photographs. She first visited Egypt in 2003 and has returned several times, constantly finding new sources of inspiration. As an artist and a curator she has supervised photographic exhibitions in Russia and Sweden. Regular readers of Al-Ahram Weekly will be familiar with Sherif Sonbol. Not only do his photographs appear regularly on the pages of the paper he has also worked as the official Cairo Opera House photographer for almost two decades. His photographic skills have been hailed internationally: the New York Times, on occasion of an exhibition of his work at the Lincoln Center, said Sonbol was especially talented in shooting familiar art forms in a completely new light. His work is available in many publications, the most recent being The Churches of Egypt (published by Carolyn Ludwig and AUC Press), which contains images that also feature in the Ecclesiastical Spirituality exhibition. Each of the photographers approaches Christian art from an individual perspective, complementing one another's work and creating for the visitor an experience akin to a metaphysical voyage, not so much for the content of the pictures but for the emotions they conjure. Nikolskaya captures details of Russian Orthodox icons. She zooms in until the subject is lost, concentrating on the subtlety of brushstrokes, exposing a world of texture that is otherwise visible only through a magnifying glass. Those achieve a life of their own as patterns emerge that are lost when looking at the artwork as a whole. In some pictures the subject may still be recognisable -- a sandaled foot that belongs to a monk, a hand holding a sacred book -- yet Nikolskaya drives the observer's attention to the effects of time on the combination of materials. The hand appears crisscrossed by delicate cracks, tired and aged as a living hand would be, exhausted by holding a book whose pages have withered and darkened over years. In other photographs the close-up is so drastic the spectator sees abstract images composed of swirling lines and colour. By allowing us to see the microscopic beauty hidden in these religious icons Nikolskaya points us down a path of introspection, to a world of meditation. Some of Sonbol's photographs posses a similar introspective quality. The images of monasteries isolated between sky and sand force us to contemplate the asceticism inherent to spiritual life. His photographs show Egyptian Coptic icons and architectural landscapes that share the primal colours seen in the Russian Orthodox icons. Sonbol's use of natural light bathes each scene in an atmosphere of austerity and solemnity. His compositions are elegant and simple, conveying a sense of inner peace. He gently leads the visitor from intense introspection towards the outer world: the detail of an almost erased icon in which the outlined hands of faceless saints greet us delivers us from the abstract to the familiar. As we move on the perspective widens, from icon to decorated ceiling, from room to building to landscape. The path he bids us follow is that of recognition. We once more acknowledge the smiling faces of saints and the familiar shapes of the world we know, and through them the observer sees his/her own place in the scheme of things. Sonbol's images achieve this transition in a non-traumatic way. If Nikolskaya manages to foreground temporality in her images of static art, Sonbol gradually evokes the essence of spirituality. In his photographs time seems to slow down until, in the most panoramic landscapes, it halts altogether. The soul has nothing to fear with the passing of ages. It is at peace with its environment and with the universe. Through their work, these two photographers follow the trail of wise men of all religions, from the interior process of understanding the self to appeasement with the outside world.
