What is Egyptian jewelry? If Khan El-Khalili market is any way to judge, then silver kafs and turquoise eyes are "Egyptian jewelry. But after four thousand years and multiple heritages, do we have anything else to add to the ornamental mix? Artist Ashraf Abd El Kader thinks we most certainly do. My first encounter with the artist came after accidentally discovering his mixed media artwork in El Sawy Culture Wheel expressing, albeit abstractly, great appreciation for Egyptian materials, folklore, and common culture. His latest exhibition "New Vision in Chest Jewelry conveys the same appreciation. Bold necklaces and broaches sport vivid depictions of Egyptian mythology: kafs and eyes aplenty; but also crocodiles, snakes, mermaids, winged creatures, and a tree of life. Mythology, though, is refreshed and modernized here. Icons don't simply hang from an uninvolved chain but are interwoven with other characters and materials, creating a story to be unraveled by its company. Different materials merge harmoniously to create the final product. Silver, polymer, plastic, and wires are among the materials Abd El Kader uses in his jewelry, combined to evoke "rich textures and selected according to their reflections of light, but at the same time, mostly inexpensive. He hopes that a new Egyptian school of jewelry making can emerge to replace at least some of the redundant jewelry brought in from China which he says "does not reflect who we are. There is no subtlety here; the point is to get noticed. Abd El Kader explains that all jewelry is for the chest area because he wanted the jewelry to act as a "medium to convey culture and history to others. He reminds me that the Pharaohs were the first to ornament themselves with jewelry, and particularly jewelry adorning the chest. While Abd El Kader usually spends a lot of time drawing, refining and selecting the pieces he will create, which usually take about four days just to produce, he says he is sometimes inspired and creates spontaneous designs. All works are for sale and can be tailored with regards to color and size within a range of LE 300 to LE 1,500. "New Vision will be on display at the Cairo Studio at 2 Kareem El Dawla Street, Downtown until June 1.
