THEY are known for their dark skin, different dialect and exotic lifestyle and heritage, but what attracts Egyptian artist Tawfik Helmy to the Nubians is their white heart, not their dark skin. In his recent exhibition 'Nubia… Noble Heart', Helmy tried to reach this white heart through their dark skin and distinctive features. Although he has never visited the villages of Upper Egypt or northern Sudan, Helmy is well acquainted with the Nubians' features, soul and character. "I don't need to visit them in their villages, as there are scores of them living here in Cairo. They have their gatherings and their clubs and still retain their features and noble hearts," says Helmy, adding that he loves these people, because his teacher, late artist Abdel-Wahab Khalil, was himself Nubian. "For nearly 45 years Khalil inspired me about Nubia. He told me all about them and took me to their gatherings. And I dedicate this exhibition to him," said Helmy, who began painting in 1967. Although he tends to abstract and surrealism, Helmy has done his Nubian portraits with straight lines, and mainly in black and white. He signs his portraits in the Tifa language, adding that he considers art itself to be a language. Touring the exhibition, being held in the office of Hungarian Cultural Counsellor in Cairo, you see the look of happiness in the black faces. In fact not all of them are Nubian – some of them are from other parts of Africa too. The Hungarian Counsellor, Estian Zimonyi, is delighted that his office isrunning an exhibition about Egypt's heritage, especially as his country has a special connection with Nubia, because one of the Nubian tribes is thought to have Hungarian origins. The exhibition runs until June 8 at The Office of the Hungarian Cultural Counsellor, 13, Gawad Hosni St. Downtown.
