At Al Kahila gallery located inMohandiseen,a duo exhibition showcasing 25 iron statues by Ammar Sheha and16 paintings by Tasneem Al-Meshad is currently on display. Entitled "Dilemma", the exhibition features the cool metalwork of Sheha, who uses metal scraps to create infrequent sculptures. I know that like me, and despite the best of environmental intentions, you discard all your cans of soft drinks, simply throwing them away without even a thought about what an enterprising mind can see in them. Well, I just attended Sheha's exhibition of sculpted iron objects created from the remnants of metals. There are boats, human figures playing on musical instruments such as the flute and drums, peacocks, horses, fish, birds, cats, crocodiles, donkeys, geese and even silkworms. Critics waxed lyrical about the display, claiming that these objects reflect the implicit influence of the late sculptor Salah Abdel-Karim on Sheha's works and also prove his undeniable talent and imagination.In this exhibition, he has thus taken strong steps on the road towards carving his name as one of the rare artists who excelled in this art genre and succeeded in distinguishing himself among his peers in the contemporary Egyptian art scene. And little wonder: he was raised in Harraniya village, where he was surrounded by nature's beauty. At the outset of his artistic voyage, he wanted to make statues depicting life in the village. He must have been pleased at some of the comments being exchanged if he had his ear trained on what the experts were saying about the revolutionary techniques he has applied to his works and their resulting aesthetic value. The exhibition runs through 16 February.
