Osama Kamal is carried aloft by the animal that many regard as the pinnacle of perfection Bag strapped over my shoulder, I go through the gates of the Cairo Opera House and head for the Sahwa exhibition. In Arabic, the word sahwa means a high but attainable place; it also means "on horseback". On my way to the exhibition I already feel elated, as if I am destined for a higher and yet attainable place. In the Music Library Hall I feel drawn to the Arab peninsula, to bygone times when one could trade verses with the likes of Imrei Al-Qays, the man who gave us this unforgettable description of his mighty horse: "Coming and going, advancing and retreating, like a boulder driven by flood rains from above." Or perhaps one could run into the knight of Arab poetry, Antara Ibn Shaddad, whose love for his horse, Al-Adham, vied only with his legendary passion for his cousin, the beautiful Abla. When his horse fell in battle, Antara said, "Hurt when the spear nipped his neck, he looked at me with a tear and a murmur." In both Islamic and Christian folklore in this country, stories of great horsemen abound. Ali Ibn Abi Taleb, Al-Khidr and Mar Guirguis are all figures of goodness on horseback, fighting evil, protecting humanity. The horses painted by the 18th-century English artist George Stubbs come to my mind as I go about the exhibition, admiring the work of more than forty artists; a hundred pictures in various styles, and of various generations. There are paintings, sculpture, mosaic pieces, caricatures and graphic works. Leather and wood, wire and plastic, iron and canvas are all used. The curator, Ibrahim Honeitir, tells me that his love of horses goes back three decades. Born in 1948, Honeitir says the horse is a symbol of moral and physical perfection. The Arab horse is patient, tough, and brave. "The horse is sensitive, witty, and can adapt with climate changes. The Arab horse eats little. And it loves music. The Arab horse is among the most beautiful animals in the world. Its broad forehead and the white patch between the broad and bright eyes are quite remarkable," Honeitir waxes lyrical. He goes into a description of the long neck, the tender skin, the curve of the stomach, the straight legs, the black and shiny hooves, all shown to great effect in the artworks surrounding us. The Sahwa exhibition is a tribute to this noble creature that has been ignored by Arab artists for years. Sahwa is an attempt to stimulate interest in the horse and encourage artists to take an interest in the subject, as well as create a community of horse lovers among ordinary people, Honeitir says. He adds that the exhibition has drawn international interest and has been placed on the list of must-see visits by horse lovers from around the world. This is the second exhibition organised by the Arab Horse Art Centre. Last year, the centre organised a similar exhibition called Tashkila (Selection) on the sidelines of the 12th Arab Horse Championship. Tashkila featured art collections about horses as well as lectures about them, their anatomy and psychology, and horse photography presentations. The pieces shown at the Sahwa exhibition were selected by a committee of artists and Arab horse lovers. The committee tried to select artworks that emphasised the brilliance and beauty of this exceptional animal, regardless of style or genre. The exhibition features pieces by early pioneers such as Mohamed Nagui (1888-1956), Adham Wanli (1908-1959), Seif Wanli (1905-1979), and Ezzat Ibrahim (1917-1993). Other pieces were by younger artists including Saad Romani, Samar Anani, Hossam Fawzi, Iman Hakim, Hafiz Sadeq, Doaa Honeitir, Nadia El-Tatawi, Hossam Honeitir and Fathi El-Kufi. Well-known contemporaries, such as Ismat Dawstashi, Ibrahim Honeitir, Fayza Abdel-Moneim, and Maysoun Qotbi also had their share. The paintings by Adham and Seif Wanli were quite a surprise. Mere sketches, they have been exquisitely executed. The horses in Seif Wanli's piece almost speak to the viewer, yet bear the hallmarks of Seif Wanli's familiar style. The same is true for Adham Wanli's painting of a horse in motion, breathing with life, trotting almost audibly. In the piece by Mohamed Nagui, horses intermingle with humans to form one seamless scene, signalling the common qualities and history between man and horse. The last of the four pioneers, Ezzat Ibrahim, offers a frontal view of an Arab horse with eyes that shine of nobility and loyalty. Other artists offered a masterful presentation of the horse, emphasising the minute details and the curves of the body movements. Among those are Osama Abul-Soud, Layla El-Tahawi, Shaimaa Mahmoud, Asmaa Mahmoud, Noha Ali, Doaa Honeitir, Islam Fadl, Sayed Abdel-Fattah, Zeinab El-Tigani and Iman Hakim. Some of the horse representations stand out, such as the one by Maysoun Qotb that is flooded in rays like forgotten dreams. The two horses by Mohamed El-Madani come in compositions of utter uniqueness. The horse by Saad Romani is elegant and proud, yet innocent and communicative. The horses by Samar Anani are stylistically exceptional and their eyes are particularly stunning. Ibrahim Honeitir, Ismat Dawstashi and Fayza Abdel-Monem all make memorable contributions. The sculptures by Fathi El-Kufi, Sara Atef, Galal Gomaa and Ahmed Yehya have a haunting quality. As I leave Sahwa, the poetry of the late Amal Donqol comes back to me: "Horses were like people in the beginning: wild and running in the valleys. Horses were like people in the beginning: owning the sun, the hay, and the shade."
