CAIRO-PAUL Strand, the 20th century American artist, once said: "The artist's world is limitless. It can be found anywhere; far from where he lives or a few feet away. It is always on his doorstep." This ‘limitless world' of the artist, created by his gifts, imagination and creativity, is prominently reflected in a collective exhibition, being held in Cairo. The exhibition, consisting of the works of more than 60 talented artists from different generations, has brought together different art schools: Classicism, Realism, Romanticism Expressionism and Abstractionism. The exhibition encompasses various art styles like handicrafts, Arabic calligraphy, folk puppets and paintings, showing that the world of art is 'vast' and 'renewable'. All the artworks in the exhibition either reveal the feelings derived from the artist's inspiration or depict the external appearance of something (concrete objects). In both cases, they highlight the artist's creativity and 'energetic mind'. Galal Gomaa, 63, is an avid artist whose mind 'in motion' pushes him to use any object he comes across to produce a lively and creative thing. His wire models of animals, displayed in the exhibition, reflect his unique talent and took him three weeks to make. "Driven by my creative desire, I use any material I come across, like wires, candles, paper, aluminium, clay, stones and many others, to produce my artworks," Gomaa told The Egyptian Gazette. "Once I have the material in my hand, the idea of creating something from it vibrates spontaneously in my mind. You can say it is an explosion of imagination," he added. Like the pianist who tickles the ivories to produce a harmonious sound, Gomaa tickles the wires with his fingers to create a 'lively thing'. At the exhibition, you can also enjoy the works of 60-year-old potter Mohamed Mandour, who has gained a measure of recognition with his distinctive wall plates, clay owls, qulal (traditional water holders), and balalees (large containers for oil, fuul and other comestibles). His decorative clay owls bespeak his love for the art of pottery. As your eyes tour the exhibition, you will enjoy the paintings that adorn the gallery's walls. Although they are all very different, they do have something in common: an exquisite meaning. But it is up to you to guess whether the paintingis classic, romantic, realistic, expressive or abstract. In his paintings, 72-year-old Ali Dessouqi realistically depicts Egyptian popular life. "Driven by my deep passion and love for my country, I have visited every corner of Egypt. These visits have given me wisdom and aesthetic ideas that inspire my artworks," Dessouqi says. The foreigners visiting the exhibition have been very impressed. "This exhibition can be best described as 'accumulated wisdom', since each artwork reflects the vision of the artist, accumulated with many years of experience," says Jimmy Kishimori, the Director of the Information and Culture Centre at the Embassy of Japan. "It is extraordinary," says Maeo, another Japanese visitor to the exhibition. The collective exhibition is being held in the Doroub Gallery, 4, Latin America St., Isis Blg, Garden City, Cairo (2796-2881). The exhibition, which is open daily from 10am to 9pm except on Fridays, runs until the end of September
