A collection of 30 vivid oil paintings by artist Samir Abdel-Rahman are on show at Duroub gallery inGarden City. Entitled Shaabiat (Folk Arts), the exhibition showcases oil paintings in different sizes inspired by our rich Egyptian heritage and cultural roots. Abdel-Rahman gained his reputation for his unique style that wraps up many details in the paintings to highlight the idea he desires to express which allows the viewer to delve deeply into it. The artist masters playing with the motifs and symbols of the Egyptian folklore as well as motifs of the Islamic art that add a spirit of Sufism and meditation . According to Abdel-Rahman, the Egyptian cultural heritage is key to understanding his art. "My paintings reflect my infatuation by my Egyptian environment and folk heritage with its diversity through an extremely special artistic vision of our folk societies represented in a dynamic structure through which the colour groups and art forms are harmonized," the artist notes. He added that he produced art through his own interpretations of the current cultural and social incidents Egypt witnesses these days. Born in 1947, Abdel-Rahman is a Faculty of Applied Arts graduate, the class of 1972. He is a member in the Plastic Artists Syndicate and the Plastic Arts Designers Syndicate. He worked as a designer in Saudi Arabia. Since 1971, he has participated in a number of group shows as well as the General Exhibition. He has also held several solo exhibitions in Cairo and Saudi Arabia. A large number of his paintings are private acquisitions in Egypt as well as Arab and foreign countries. The exhibition runs through 26 February.
