Sayed Mahmoud has captured a unique moment at one of the extraordinary photography exhibitions downtown In his exhibition launched this week at the Cairo Atelier, photographer Adel Waseeli presents a collection of photographs that come in an outstanding sequence that made it more like a script that can be called "The road to Joy". This is very true. The exhibition, in general, features photographs of happy people, amid ceremonial practices pertaining to moulids (local festivals), be they Islamic or Christian. The images can be viewed as a work parallel to the famous operetta The Big Night, written by vernacular poet Salah Jaheen in 1964. Waseeli, however, believes that this is "a merely superficial reading of my exhibition". "My aim was not a mere sketching of different human practices during the moulids. Actually, I wanted to depict the situation when people are ready to get involved in joyful moments during the Virgin Mary's moulid at the Tayr Mountain Monastery in Samalout, Minya, or the moulids of Sayeda Zeinab and Refaie in Cairo. In such moments, the common cultural heritage is reflected in the people's manner, which spurs from their common background, regardless of cultural and social differences among those who practise the same ceremonies. And this is exactly what provoked me to pursue my characters, my heroes," Waseeli says. An engineering graduate from Ain Shams University, where he obtained a degree in 1985, Waseeli has taken part in several group exhibitions. He held his first exhibition in 2006. "There is no big difference between the two exhibitions, simply because depicting people has always been my favourite subject," he says. "However, there are some changes pertaining to the used technique and my view point. And while the first exhibition has focussed on photos in black and white, the second exhibition celebrates the colours, which signify the state of joy and happiness." As an activist and a professional engineer, Waseeli's own creative works do not reflect his actual value as an artist. "My infatuation with photography is deeply rooted in me; however, my decision to exhibit my works came a bit late, but I consider it a turning point in my career," he says. Facing the viewer are two pictures that look like advertisement posters. The first depicts a scene from a popular circus, presenting the famous show "The Electricity Girl", and the second is a portrait of a heavily made-up show girl. In between the two pictures lies an old-style mirror that holds an old black and white photograph. "I wanted the viewer of my gallery to be a part of this magical situation, and to see himself in a mirror, as a shadow that intersects with the rest of the photographs in an illusionary situation. That is very similar to what happens during the theatrical performance on the stage. And I wanted to post these two pictures as posters so that they denote the authority of cultural heritage, which is hard to erase from the living memory." In Waseeli's eye-catching 59 pictures, which are put together as an independent slide show, one can easily sympathise with those with aspiring eyes, wishing for a better life in spite of the poor, simple, clothes they are wearing, typical of the Egyptian countryside. Because of the photographer's insistent desire to chase joy in the eyes of children, it is they who are usually the protagonists of his portraits and pictures. With his peerless sensitivity, Waseeli captures a person's desire to liberate him/ herself from the shackles of the present moment, and to open up to un- visualised, unforeseen future. As the pictures show, all the people are in constant movement, while their eyes are inhibited with a hopeless aspiration. The photographs exhibited depict the rituals of a typical Christian rural family, first riding in a cart driven by a donkey, which carries the luggage they are taking to celebrate the Virgin's moulid. Their ability to enjoy the journey, which fulfils their religious and worldly needs, is peerless. Puppet show players, vendors who sell religious icons, nuts, and popular food on carts adorned with religious symbols also contribute to the happy mood. Waseeli believes that it is quite hard to create a photograph that lacks "manipulation, simply because there is a kind of alienation behind every single shot, whether of a person, a moment or a subject." "When I am in the mood for shooting," he continues, "I have a complete trust in people, and I have this desire to depict them as heroes who are able to confront their tough political, social and economic realities. I see their joy in the pictures as merely a means to show their resistance and rebellion," he says. "I have never been interested in depicting the typical views of the moulids, such as children playing on swings or watching the circus, because this is the easiest way to show a moulid. I opted to observe their manners in a free moment that assures their desire to coexist. Poor Upper Egypt's families come to the Virgin's moulid in Samalout to spend a few days, termed by their children 'Summer Days', because they swim in the Nile by day and watch moulid ceremonies at night, all in a limited area. And in spite of the crowded space, most of the moulid -goers have a genuine desire to enjoy cherished moments, and this is exactly what I have been expecting and waiting to see in their eyes. And also in the eyes of my exhibition visitors," he adds with a wink. The exhibition runs until 12 December.
