Heba Hafez
Elemental Realms
February 2 - February 23, 2010
Reception:
Thursday February 4, 2010 6-8 PM
Press Release
Personal and poignant, Egyptian artist Heba Hafez paints with unusual awareness and sincerity. Layers of thought are transformed into imagery rich with meaning as she responds to the world around her. These are daring artworks, orchestrated with an inventive visual language that develops each day in her mind. "Society is my muse and a close companion, whether we are at peace or at war with one another," she says. Correspondingly we find a variety of subjects, intricate patterns and symbols, alongside references to religion, history, and modern pop culture. Hafez pours her whole self into her work; each piece is so radically different it seems as if we get to know the artist all over again. Some works may approach pure abstraction while others display the work of an artist with an impeccable talent for rendering the human form in an expressive and soulful manner.
Hafez’s original motifs, surrealist landscapes, and figural deconstruction are conveyed in a way that celebrates life’s profound mysteries. Hafez lives and works in Cairo.
Artist Statement
In my world, art does not merely exist around us. It is seated within the soul of the artist and his own personal world, one through which he perceives and reflects. I tend to refrain from placing my work in a certain category and from working in a fixed style. I believe such categories are unhelpful and inhibit communication. Figures in my work represent something important in my life, and fill my colours with emotion. Society is my muse and I constantly find beauty in ugliness, and ugliness in beauty. My dream is to become one with life, daringly face my audience as they view my work and thus, me as well. I paint my experiences, and my experiences shape my work.
Invitation to the exhibition
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View the catalog page
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Artists in this exhibition
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