HE doesn't stop at knocking at closed doors, but pushes them open a little to peer into the very private moments of men and women. In his exhibition ‘Knock, Knock', We are Here', Mohssen Shaalan, the head of Egypt's Plastic Arts Sector, explores the relationship between man and woman in all its shapes and forms. "My main focus is on people and the restrictions they meet in their lives. I'm also very concerned about the problems between men and women," says Shaalan. The exhibition, which took about four years to prepare, features 110 paintings, some of them he'd painted already, others new. In ‘Akareb el-Sa'a' (The Last Hour), a man with a weird look sits in a big chair. There's also a large clock in the painting, while a very long, red table is separating the man and his wife, who sits at the end of the table, looking sad and bored. "I did this painting in 1997 and it's designed to show the relationship between a husband and wife after being married for some time. The clock suggests that time is passing very slowly," says Shaalan. "The man looks hesitant and insecure. The huge chair he's sitting in reflects his dominance, while the way he looks shows that he feels there's something wrong with his own character," explains the artist, who got his BA in art and education in 1974. "The man looks at his wife or even out of the painting at the beholder, because he knows that there's something wrong with him." Shaalan's paintings are like satirical comments on society. His world is inhabited by people, who, with their pet animals and birds, attempt to upstage one another and crowd the frame, as though driven by curiosity and a desire to pose for the camera. His painting ‘Ahwal Shakhsia' (Civil Status) features a man and a woman having a very private moment under a huge rock, with a raven nearby. Another painting shows a husband and wife embracing each other, but you can hardly see them, because of all the clutter in the room ��" TV, carpets and other things, all in random positions. "Because their lives are so busy, this private moment between husband and wife becomes heavy and undesirable. They're so involved in their daily lives that they forget all about their desires and feelings," Shaalan told The Egyptian Gazette in an interview. His new paintings all about love and emotions. The difference is that the artist now appears to be more optimistic, as he shows love's various meanings. When asked whether he thinks there's more love these days, he answered immediately, "No, love and romance are a thing of the past. Now there is no love. My new group of paintings is just a message for people to love and enjoy being in love, whatever the cost." Shaalan, 59, has worked in publishing houses such as Dar al-Shaab and the Egyptian Company for Advertising. He was also Director of the Technical Office in the National Centre for Fine Arts. Shaalan has never sought fame; he's always been much more concerned about his art, and his passion to be part of it. "I release my mind, hand and will to the realms of utter experimentation: it's continuous, problematic; it's about discoveries, an infatuation with medium and content, and desires that become obsessed with art," he explained.
