CAIRO - With Greek eyes, they have tried to capture the Egyptian soul in their art works. They are very concerned about the details, as this is for them a very personal experience. As part of the Greek-Egyptian Cultural Week, which opened yesterday in the Hanager Art Gallery in the grounds of the Cairo Opera House, two exhibitions are being held there: ‘Nour', a jewellery exhibition by Elena Syraka, and ‘Crossing the Nile', an exhibition of the paintings of Andreas Georgiadis. Both artists have been influenced by Islamic art and Egypt. In her 45-piece collection, Elena, one of Greece's most famous jewellery designers, uses a combination of precious stones, diamonds and calligraphy to make her masterpieces unique. Elena has been inspired by Islamic art and the exhibits in the Museum of Islamic Art, a wing of the Benaki Museum in Athens. "When I was asked to do this exhibition, I spent six months studying in the Museum of Islamic Art. My works have been inspired by the helmets, swords, ceramics and other items of Islamic culture," she told the Mail in an interview. This collection of jewellery in 18K gold and precious stones is regarded as a bridge between the East and contemporary Western aesthetics. "When I first displayed these works last year in Athens, the exhibition was a great success. It was Greek mixed with Egyptian art," she said. The collection was presented for the first time in the Benaki Museum's collection of Islamic art on 23 February, 2012. Elena has been designing jewellery for the past ten years. She studied at the Veloudakis School of Fashion in Athens, Euromode Textila in Thessaloniki and ESMOD in Paris. She has been approached by and has collaborated with many leading international companies. She has also styled and designed accessories and jewellery for various Greek theatrical and film productions. In the second exhibition, ‘Crossing the Nile' by Andreas Georgiadis, the artist presents an artistic narrative of a 19th century Greek traveller who starts from the north of Egypt, Alexandria and Port Said and concludes his journey in Aswan and Upper Egypt. "It is very personal for me. My first visit to Egypt was 20 years ago. Because it was my first trip abroad, leaving my country, that made it extra special. When I got the invitation to exhibit in the Cairo Opera House, I decided to dedicate this exhibition to the Egyptian landscape, which is imprinted on my memory," says Georgiadis. ‘Crossing the Nile' features 24 paintings that detail the impressions and memories of his imaginary trip, as well as indirect references to Egypt's civilisation. "I chose to paint the Egyptian places of the 19th century. I wanted to capture that era, because I believe that that was the last time that these places were similar to how they were thousands of years ago. “Since the 19th century, there have been thousands of changes ��" not only in Egypt, but worldwide. In fact, everything has changed," he explains. In his works, the artist is concerned with details, portraying the dust, climate, sun and sand. "I have focused on colour. I believe that Egypt has one colour, which is the colour of the sand that you find everywhere," he adds. Georgiadis studied graphic arts and illustration at Athens' Fine Arts College and was then granted a scholarship to do further studies in illustration at the Institut d'Arts Visuels in Orleans, France. For six years, he was tutored by the famous fine artist Y. Rorris at Apopsi Art College. His works have been used as cover designs and illustrations in many books and for many CD covers. The two exhibitions have been organised by the Greek Embassy in Cairo, along with the Greek Cultural Centre in Cairo, in co-operation with the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, the Cultural Development Fund and the Cairo Opera House. "Greek Cultural Week is the second co-operation between the Ministry of Culture and Greek Embassy, after the traditional handicrafts workshop held last year, a very good experience that gave artists the chance to share their knowledge and ideas. “We also hosted a Greek troupe that performed in the recently held festival for drums, as Greece was our guest of honour this year," Mohamed Abu Seada, the head of the Cultural Development Fund, told the Mail. The Greek Cultural Centre helps share the Greek culture with Egyptians, as well as offering help to Greeks living in Egypt. "We want to help Greeks living in Egypt, so they don't forget their original identity. We have cultural centres, clubs, schools, homes for old people, nurseries, churches, hospitals and more," says Christos Cavallis, the head of the Greek community in Cairo. In 1907, the official census showed 62,973 Greeks living in Egypt. By 1940, Greeks numbered about 250,000. Between 1957 and 1962, almost 70 per cent of Egypt's Greeks left the country. Today, there are fewer than 2,000 Greeks in Alexandria and around 3,000 in Cairo. "We may be now fewer in number than before, but the level of our activities remains the same. We haven't cut or reduced our activities since the 1930s," stresses Cavallis, an Egyptian of Greek origin. "We hope that Egypt will soon become stable again," he adds. The jewellery exhibition ‘Nour' by Elena Syraka and the painting exhibition ‘Crossing the Nile' by Andreas Georgiadis is open daily in the Hanger Art Gallery and runs until June 2.
