Stars and media pack into Farouk Hosni's latest gallery showing Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni unleashed his latest collection of abstract paintings to a celebrity-jammed crowd at the Zamalek Art Gallery earlier this week. Accompanied by a throng of television reporters and eager journalists, luminaries such as Ahmed Abdel Aziz, Youssra and the elegant Libleba showed up to take in the show, which also boasted a string duo and more backslapping than a Hungarian bath house. Still, while the evening had all the flare and glamour of an awards show, the entire affair felt less like an art exhibit and more like a nepotistic parade for Egypt's aged upper crust. In fact, the average age of the people in attendance was well over 50, meaning that many of Egypt's young and vital artists stayed well-clear of the event. There was also a conspicuous shortage of women wearing the higab - not a surprise given the minister's opinions on the traditional Islamic headscarf, which he called a "step backwards in November of last year. And while Hosni's political statements have raised the ire of women, opposition politicians and religious leaders here in Egypt, his latest, pleasant collection of paintings isn't likely to offend anyone. That said, his work isn't likely to excite anyone, either. While Hosni's paintings have been shown in New York, Vienna and Tokyo (he won a "peace and culture award from a Buddhist-affiliated organization called Soka Gakai International), nothing at Sunday's show jumps out at the viewer. Most of the pieces feature warm tones, abstract geometric shapes and blots of paint, but the paintings lack the emotional furry of primetime abstractionists like Cy Twombly or Jackson Pollack and instead settle into a comfortable, predictable visual language. To be fair, Hosni's bold brush strokes and color schemes are pleasant enough, but one wonders if his work would attract the attention it does if he weren't a well-connected member of Egypt's establishment and a powerful government official. When asked by Al Ahram in a Sept. 2005 article to comment on the rumor that only businessmen bought his work, Hosni responded: "Nonsense. Why would people who have nothing to do with culture buy my work just out of courtesy, to what end? And what about the sales I ve made abroad? Does it matter there that I happen to be a minister? Looking dapper in a suede jacket, pin-stripped slacks and a dark tie, Hosni told me during a brief exchange on Sunday night that: "I reflect what's inside of me - it's a visual music. In this case, however, Hosni's visual music is unfortunately middle of the road. Exhibition runs until Feb. 14.
