Venus Fouad makes a virtual journey to a land of colour and charm
There has been a recent rise in the popularity of photography, both as a documentary tool and an artistic genre. The boost mobile phones have given to public appreciation of this (...)
Venus Fouad looks at the irrepressible force of politics on television
In the first Ramadan after political Islamist parties came to power in Egypt, a new generation of writers and directors has been striving to bring social issues to the heart of (...)
Venus Fouad has been joining her children in front of the TV this Ramadan
Everyone, and not only children, loves to watch animated films in Ramadan, and this is why some of the country's most talented directors dedicate their careers to this art (...)
Venus Fouad contemplates a vision of the East painted under azure skies
Puducherry is a town in southeast India famous for its blue skies and its lovely beaches. Two years ago, the town hosted 28 artists from the nine members of the South Asian (...)
Venus Fouad reads the message in Taha Qorani's murals
Murals are back. Indeed, since the January Revolution graffiti they have become all the rage in our city streets, bringing to the fore the energy and creativity of a young generation of (...)
Venus Fouad visits an exhibition that has been reflecting public mood and sensibilities in an ever-changing Egypt
When the Public Exhibition was first held in 1969, it was intended to be a way of coping with the bitter memories of the 1967 defeat. (...)
Venus Fouad is taken on a multi-faceted tour of Siwa
Every year, a certain number of artists receive a grant to live and work for two weeks in Siwa, the largest oasis in Egypt's Western Desert. The grant is offered by the General Organisation for (...)
Venus Fouad takes a look at an outside view of local legacy
How do Spanish artists view Egyptian culture and civilisation? The answer, or part of it, can be seen in the ongoing exhibition of Ancient Cultures and Diversities now on at the Modern Art (...)
Venus Fouad offers a personal view of a State enterprise that is badly in need of an overhaul
"Here we are, the Egyptians, heirs to the greatest of all civilisations and owners of all the ancient Egyptian artist left us in terms of a heritage of (...)
Venus Fouad views some innovative art on the revolution
Artists throughout history have immortalised revolutions, upheavals, and war. Ancient Egyptian and Greek temples are replete with imagery of battlefield, icons of victory, and murals recording (...)
Venus Fouad questions the state of Egypt's cultural policy, and what changes need to be made
Now that we are turning a new page in the history of this country, what do we do about our cultural institutions? Do we overhaul them, add to them, deduct (...)
The fourth Luxor International Painting Symposium brought together 10 Egyptian artists and 15 from other parts of Africa. Venus Fouad writes from Luxor
The setting was perfect: a series of bedsit/workrooms overlooking the Nile, all connected by a (...)
Venus Fouad takes an armchair tour of Egypt's desert beauty spots
Music and song, fauna and flora, architecture, and language -- everything changes once you step out of the valley and into the surrounding desert. Encapsulated in time, beholden to (...)
For Ashraf Ibrahim, maps evoke visions and trigger memories, says Venus Fouad
A memory map.�ê� a place where we preserve the memory of places we have seen and want to find again. A map of associations -- even if they are a fantasy -- with treasure (...)
There is a desperate need for funding and fresh views in his department, the new head of the Supreme Council for Culture tells Venus Fouad
The new president of the Supreme Council for Culture (SCC) is a familiar figure to most writers and artists in (...)
Venus Fouad is uplifted by the young talent at the Cairo Opera House, before being heavily let down
Every year, youngsters with a talent go to the Cairo Opera House seeking to enrol in music and dance lessons. The Opera House's Educational Centre (...)
Sweden's first Arab film festival featured dozens of feature, documentary, and short films from across the Arab world, Venus Fouad reports
While the Malmo Arab Film Festival showed a wide range of short and full-length films, the main focus was on (...)
Venus Fouad visits an exhibition that rethinks one of the basic tenets of Muslim tradition
Following the screening of Al-Hassan Wal Hossein in Ramadan, and the earlier screening of Al-Farouq Omar, Khaled Ibn Al-Walid and Youssef al-Sahabi, the (...)
, the new head of Egypt's state-run television, makes no secret of her disdain for the old-style media. Here she tells Venus Fouad of her plans for the future
You are known for opposing the policies of the former leadership of Egyptian television. (...)
Nazli Madkour's latest exhibition links man to plant in a natural fusion of harmony and colour. Venus Fouad explores the artist's unique talent
Nazli Madkour is an unusual artist. She studied politics and economics, earning an MA in political (...)
Venus Fouad looks at the Ministry of Culture's ambitious museums programme, which will see the long-awaited reopening of the Gezira Museum
Like the muses who inspire artists, museums were conceiveed as a means of enlightening and entertaining the (...)
Film posters are not what they used to be, reports Venus Fouad
The Arabic word for festival, mahrajan, comes from a composite Persian word. The first part, mahr, means 'sun' or 'soul'. The second, jan, means 'love' or 'life'. In other words, a (...)