Shaabiat(folklore) is the title of Duroub gallery's annual group exhibition showcasing artworks created in different art media and techniques. It covers different art domains such as oil painting, aquarelle, graphic, pottery, 3D objects, jewellery and calligraphy. The exhibition displays the works of 60 artists hailing from different regions in Egypt and different generations. Each artist has his or her very own style and vision. Among the participants are: Ahmed Badawi, Iman Hakim, Hanan Youssef, Samir Fouad, Sabri Ragheb, Abdel-Fattah Al-Badri, Mohamed Sabri, Maye Heshmat, Youssri Al-Mamluk and Hassan Rashed. Hassan Rashed gained his reputation as a spontaneous artist who adopts the naïve style in depicting the folk art motifs. His works are mainly inspired by the rich heritage of Egyptian art, his paintings remind the audience with the drawings decorating the walls of the Egyptian houses as a kind of celebrating certain social events such as the drawings and motifs denoting that the dweller of the house is going on the hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, a folk ritual that is still an ongoing practice to this today. Rashed himself as a child used to draw these folk motifs on the walls of his house and the houses of his neighbours as he was brought up in one of Cairo's poorer districts surrounded with these folk motifs everywhere. He didn't stop at this level but learned art at the hands of late veteran artist Hassan Suleiman whom he met at the so-called "the folk university" in the 1960s and the 1970s. His infatuation by the Egyptian and Arab identity and its rich artistic elements is brilliantly echoed in his paintings. He is famous for his very vivid and bright palette of colours. The exhibition is on until 30 September.
