Adel El Siwi
Thousand and One Egypt
Adel El Siwi is one of the main figures of contemporary art in Egypt. Intellectual and painter, in search of the demystification of Western theoretical artistic knowledge; he translated Leonardo da Vinci's treatise on painting into Arabic.
Wishing to juxtapose classical iconography from Europe and the Western world with Arab sensibilities, he uses traditional Egyptian painting techniques in a contemporary style.
His artistic career is linked to her political convictions, she is a commentary on the disillusionment caused by political corruption and state control and becomes an inspiration for people who come back to their communities.
He frequently paints faces as subjects that embody the multiplicity of the individual; they resonate with his political and social concerns of cultural politics and current restrictions on freedom of expression as well as poverty in Egypt.
“I hope the face becomes a light and joyful presence among other faces, as it frees itself from the hegemony of realities, limits and historical memory”.
Adel is interested in the cyclical nature of life reflected in the individual, their multiple feelings and personalities. Different emotional states are parodied in his works, they become ironic by their interaction. “Heavy, sad faces are juxtaposed with smirking, smiling faces in an attempt to free them from the weight of authoritarian realities. They are an opportunity to read personal stories offering us both the possibility of escape and balance.
His Palette is a very important element, he only expresses himself on paper or on canvas, working traditionally in oil. Adel often uses the colors steeped in the Egyptian landscape, such as the browns and grays of the desert and the city, as sonic backgrounds for his faces which are frequently set in pure or bright colors in order to draw attention. These tonal shades signify a relationship between the face and the world around it.