Alexandria-based artist Aya Tarek will open a new exhibition, titled Aya Tarek's Sprezzatura, at Soma Gallery on 1 April. The word "Sprezzatura" is an Italian Renaissance term meaning "studied carelessness" used in reference to a style of art, fashion or literature. According to the gallery's exhibition text, “The term was first used by Balassare Castiglione in The Book of Countier, an Italian Renaissance literature that aimed at instructing noblemen to dress & speech in a certain manner that look effortless and almost without thinking. This concept was later taken to an extreme by Beau Brummell, who was known for spending hours in front of the mirror to arrange his cravat to make it look done with no effort.” Tarek is applying the concept of Sprezzatura to her own visual world as she matures as an artist, showcasing a selection of works that appear simple and easy, but which are “the result of long years of effort, practice, plans, seeking perfection, then rebellion,” the text states. Born in Alexandria in 1989, Tarek is a painter, street artist and illustrator whose works spans various mediums and international collaborations. In her street-art work, she explores the dynamics of urban communication and public space, while her solo exhibitions reveal more personal themes. Tarek has exhibited widely in Egypt and around the world, most notably at Bytes and Pieces at the Sharjah Art Foundation in Sharjah (2011), White Walls at the Beirut Art Centre in Beirut (2012), and Urban Art Biennale at Weltkulturerbe Völklinger Hütte in Völklingen, Germany (2015). In 2017 she had another solo at Soma Gallery titled Objects in the Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear, and later the same year she was part of Paper Trail group show at Gypsum Gallery. Programme: The exhibition opens on 1 April at 7pm and runs till 15 April SOMA Art School & Gallery, 3 Al Adel Abou Bakr Square, 3rd floor, app# 9, Zamalek, Cairo Daily except Friday, from 12pm to 9pm
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