Way-to-salvation - Christian art and ecumenism in Egypt - Al-Ahram Weekly

8 May 2014


Coptic Pope Tawadros II showed an interest in art during the Easter holidays. His appearance at the Anglican All Saints Cathedral in Zamalek brought a crowd of Christian art lovers to their feet at the opening of “The Way of Salvation,” an exhibition curated by artist Farid Fadel.

In his first-ever visit to the Cathedral, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary, the Pope said that he was satisfied with the close rapport developing among the Christian churches.

The art exhibition, held in the main auditorium, contains work inspired by biblical images of the life and passion of Christ. Bishop Mouneer Hanna of the Episcopal Church sponsored the exhibition, which was also attended by the reverend Safwat al-Bayadi of the Anglican Church and father Rafiq Gereish of the Catholic Church.

“The idea of this exhibition came to me when I saw an exhibition in London called the “vision for salvation” and wondered if we could do the same in Egypt, with Egyptian artists tackling that same theme. So I asked artist Farid Fadel to invite Christian artists from varied backgrounds to tell the story of salvation in one exhibition,” Hanna said.

Wagdy Habashy, one of the artists taking part in the exhibition, said that “the greatness of art lies in the magic of its ambiguity.” In his painting “Born to be Crucified,” Habashy depicts the baby Jesus standing on the lap of the Virgin Mary, with his arms extending outwards like a cross. Habashy includes numerous symbols, such as the key of life, the fish, and the chalice, to denote the act of salvation.

In another painting, entitled “Promise of Salvation,” the Virgin Mary is shown holding the baby Jesus, with the latter tossing an apple symbolising sin out of a window. “Coptic art is part of a whole civilisation. Its vision of the past and its biblical inspiration that flows into the depth of the soul almost like a revelation fires the imagination of the artist,” Habashy noted.

Gamil Shafik is showing two pieces, one a carving of the Virgin with the baby Jesus, and the other a painting showing the journey of the Holy Family to Egypt. Makram Henein has been inspired by the Old Testament in his work “Copper Serpent” that was created by Moses who put the serpent on top of a flagpole. Anyone biten by a snake then looking at this copper serpent had to live then. This was considered the wat to salvation.

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Way-to-salvation - Al-Ahram Weekly