Nationalities and ideas mix in artistic exchange In a city where studio space for young painters is a prized commodity, the Townhouse Gallery is running an innovative program which aims to give every artist a place to get creative. The idea is simple: the downtown gallery provides the materials, opens its doors and lets people from the surrounding community set up shop and get to work on their masterpieces. "The idea is to have it open for everybody, says Mina Noshy, the Townhouse employee who helped hatch the week-long program. Entitled the Sawa Workshop, the sessions will run on LE 4,000 budget and will continue until Jan. 23. The best of the lot will be on display until then. "Maybe some people have an idea inside of them to be creative, but they can't draw at home, says Noshy, standing inside the lofty, whitewashed studio space, which on a recent afternoon was filled with artists, dozens of paint buckets and a handful of unruly kids. The Sawa Workshop sessions aren't just for amateurs, though. To ensure dialogue and a constructive environment, the organizers also invite established artists from around town to come and provide advice and tips for the up-and-comers. "I like the conversations between the artists, says Noshy. "We have the old with the young, the famous with the unknown - like people from the lane who love art but don't know where to start. For example, Noshy points to a pair of colorful paintings created by a 30-something auto mechanic who works at a nearby body shop. The mechanic was on his way to work one day and decided to stop in and resume his childhood passion. Call it art brut with a twist. The Sawa space is also a mix of nationalities: young refugees mix freely with elderly Sai'idis, and trendy Europeans work side-by-side with Egyptian art students "My father told me to go be an artist because I'm the best at drawing in my family, says Ashraf Ibrahim, a 14-year-old Sudanese refugee who takes classes at the nearby St. Andrew's school. Ibrahim says he comes by the workshop for about an hour in the morning, and once his classes finish up, he spends the afternoon painting, hanging out and picking up tips from some of the older artists. When The Daily Star Egypt visited the workshop, Ibrahim was busy preparing a white canvas - his first time working with a frame. It's an opportunity he normally wouldn't get. Domenic Gaere, one of Ibrahim's teachers, says the workshop is a great way to keep younger artists busy and keep them out of trouble. "It gives them something to do. It occupies them with the good things [and] it keeps them off the streets, says Gaere, an art teacher at St. Andrew's who has exhibited at Townhouse in the past. "I asked [the kids] to come down here to learn from my experience . when they leave school and they come to a big room like this, with old and young artists, they have the feeling to draw more and they can ask and learn, he says. "Most of them are refugees so we have to try our best to help them. Busy at work on the other side of the workshop is Aliaa Essam, a 26-year-old art graduate from Helwan University. Until recently, Essam was working as a graphic design artist at a commercial design house. Fed up with the rigidity of her job, however, she recently quit and dedicated her life to art. Now she spends her days working on new pieces. "In Cairo in general, we haven't got a lot of opportunities to paint and be creative. That's why when I hear there's an opportunity to present my work to people, I do it, she says, kneeling over a sketch she's just started. "I think this is a good opportunity, she continues. "I didn't expect this - this is a place where there are many nationalities. People from all over the world are here with the same motive.
