SCZONE showcases investment opportunities to eight Japanese companies    Egypt urges Israel to accept Gaza deal amid intensifying fighting    Egypt, ADIB explore strategic partnership in digital healthcare, investment    SCZONE, Tokyo Metropolitan Government sign MoU on green hydrogen cooperation    Al-Sisi, Macron reaffirm strategic partnership, coordinate on Gaza crisis    Egypt welcomes international efforts for peace in Ukraine    Contact Reports Strong 1H-2025 on Financing, Insurance Gains    Egypt, India's BDR Group in talks to establish biologics, cancer drug facility    AUC graduates first cohort of film industry business certificate    Egypt to tighten waste rules, cut rice straw fees to curb pollution    Indian tourist arrivals to Egypt jump 18.8% in H1-2025: ministry data    Egyptian pound down vs. US dollar at Monday's close – CBE    Egypt's FM, Palestinian PM visit Rafah crossing to review Gaza aid    Egypt prepares unified stance ahead of COP30 in Brazil    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Fitch Ratings: ASEAN Islamic finance set to surpass $1t by 2026-end    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Wind, air and colors: Xavier Puigmarti's collection at one with the universe
Published in Daily News Egypt on 26 - 04 - 2007

An artist s eyes turn toward the fire . world on fire . people on fire . a dust storm ten thousand meters high alternates with a clear sky; earth in the airless purity of space, crashing between catastrophe and silence. Signs and words in secret code appear out of nowhere, as an indecipherable, yet eternal language.
Memory, space cut through the lines; hidden lines which explode into intensities. Zero points and asperities, fanning out and scattering like fireworks. This artist s universe is made of unimagined constellations, magical connections, dangerous and momentous, but with endless possibilities. In the midst of the green fields, facing the lazy blue waters and the smooth golden dunes of Lake Qarun in Fayoum stands Xavier Puigmarti s studio; a whitewashed, sunlit, spacious room. A world he inhabits half the year, every year, as he tries to bring back to life these infinite possibilities, colors, bloodlines. Protecting his seclusion, Puigmarti refuses to reveal his exact location in a phone interview with The Daily Star Egypt. I don t want many people to come here, I don t want this place to be crowded, he said in Arabic. He said the paintings celebrate the shifting lights and winds and sometimes even perspectives on Lake Qarun. Colors change every minute, they shift with the wind, he said describing the kaleidoscope of colors surrounding the lake which inspired most of the paintings. Some paintings look at the lake from the ground, others from space, following the many phases of the sun and the moon, clouds and even; a ten thousand meter high sandstorm. There is even a subtle hint to the artists relationship with technology - despite his need for seclusion - as he said that a personal computer was among the items he took with him to his studio by the lake. Codes written in a secret language appear on what looks like keys of a computer keyboard can be seen in some of the paintings, challenging the beholder for a meaning. Maybe they are just a joke, I am trying to say that while computerized art is becoming mainstream, oil on canvas could be even more realistic, he said humorously. These innocent spots look out from the world; as perennial as the earth, the sea, and the infinite horizon. As resolute as a world that continues in its turning as perpetual as nature, which persists in its course. The paintings also evoke a feeling of universality, and oneness with nature through the eyes of a Spanish artist in love with the lake at the center of Egypt s Islamic and cultural heritage by the virtue of its mention in the Quran as a miracle and a reminder of God s punishment of Qarun.
According to the Muslim Holy Book, Qarun, who lived during the time of Ramses II the king of Egypt, was so immensely rich that it took a group of men to be able to carry the keys to his huge safes, filled with gold and precious stones.
Qarun, however, haughtily refused to be grateful to God for his riches and was, therefore, punished by a colossal earthquake that buried him and his wealth under the lake, giving rise to the belief that a massive treasure lies at the bottom of the lake under its serene waters.
Xavier said he was aware of the Qarun s story, but added that he was more interested in the beauty of the lake which he has been living near to for the past 15 years. The predominant colors are dark blue, and black. Some of the oil on canvas paintings fetched as much as LE 3,000.
The artist s last gallery was held at the American University in Cairo two years ago where he exhibited paintings depicting the plight of the Palestinian people under the Israeli occupation. Xavier Puigmarti s Landscapes is held in cooperation with the Embassy of Spain s cultural awareness program. His paintings are currently on display in the Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art, 8 Champollion Street and will continue to be on display until May 10.


Clic here to read the story from its source.