CAIRO - The room is full of light, but he sits cross-legged on the floor, with his head between his hands; he can't see the light or the beautiful world around him. This is one of the paintings in a new exhibition about chains, shrouds, ropes and depression, in the Kunst Art Gallery in downtown Cairo. In his exhibition, ‘Restrictions and Deprivation', supported by the Gallery of Contemporary Art, Mahmoud el-Sherif (27) deftly uses his brush to express people's feelings in impressive colours. "‘Restrictions and Deprivation' is a very rich theme. Who hasn't experienced restriction? We lived under a corrupt regime for 30 years, suffering from lack of freedom of speech, low salaries, unemployment and much else," said el-Sherif, who is not only a painter but also a singer and a composer. In another work in the exhibition, the artist has painted a hand, trying but failing to reach an apple on a high table. The hand can't reach this apple, because it is chained. "These chains may be the poverty that deprives the poor of even the least of their rights. Some people interpret this painting differently. They think the apple might be the fruit that tempted Adam, while the chains may represent principles or religion. "I usually let people see my paintings the way they want to. That's why I don't give them titles," el-Sherif told The Egyptian Gazette in an interview. In another painting, there is a man wearing a shroud, walking along a dimly lit road. At first glance, you feel it's very pessimistic, but then you realise it's rather familiar. "Some of us, although we are alive, feel enshrouded by life's restrictions and troubles, which make us restless, so we can't live properly," he added. Then there is a painting of a man playing the piano, but one of his hands is chained, so he's struggling. The painting represents a call for the freedom of art and artists. "Art is an act of freedom. As artists, we view the world from another perspective, an artistic one. You restrict creativity because art is all about freedom," el-Sherif stressed. Egypt is now witnessing the rise of the Islamists, who spent decades in jail under Mubarak. Many artists are afraid that the Islamists could restrict the arts or ban them altogether. "We didn't launch a revolution, only for people to ban the arts and restrict freedom of speech. I don't think they will do this. Egypt has always been a country where arts do not conflict with religion," he explained. "In my opinion, arts can deliver a concept or principle to the people more easily than a two-hour speech by a sheikh. Of course we need sheikhs, but we also need arts.” The exhibition ‘Restrictions and Deprivation' by artist Mahmoud el-Sherif, being held in the Kunst Art Gallery, 29 Sherif Pasha St., downtown Cairo (02-2391-2600), runs till March 20. It's open every day.
