The photographs that hung on the stark white walls of Downtown’s Mashrabiya Gallery were mesmerizing. The repetitive images – forming patterns that drew in the audience into a trance-like state – induced a sense of calm and serenity. It was not surprising that the artist Amr Fekry’s work was inspired by the Sufi master, Al Nefary.
Al Nefary is originally Iraqi but lived and died in Egypt. He traveled on foot through villages, pausing only to utter words and phrases that were both exceedingly profound and seemingly illogical.
Fekry, an enthusiast of Sufi teachings, was drawn to the traveling philosopher. “I was curious to know about Al Nefary, especially since his book was difficult to find, he said.
He wasn’t disappointed. Reading “Mawaqif (Situations) unveiled the complexity of Sufi layers, Fekry was able to see the perfection and the patterns in Al Nefary’s writings, but more insightful, he could also see how the writer broke those patterns.
Al Nefary’s sayings lead the mind to free spaces of meditation as a trance, into a pattern out of a pattern, and through to the condition of a “complete situation. Over the past two years, Fekry has been meditating on these situations and reacting with this visual outcome.
Plaques etched with quotes from Al Nefary’s writings were interspersed between the framed prints hanging on the walls.
“The way he wrote was poetry. A few lines [that] start off logically, then you get to a point where he breaks away from the logic, said Fekry. This, he explained, leads you to reread the piece from the beginning with a whole new perspective.
Fekry tries to emulate this in his photographs. On first impressions, the overall image creates a pattern, much like you would see if you looked through a kaleidoscope. But like Al Nefary’s work, a closer look unveils more layers. The pattern is made up of repetitions of smaller images: architectural details of Islamic structures, gatherings of people, a man praying, and other images you’d glimpse walking through the cities of Cairo.
“I chose pictures I felt [gave off] special energy that touched me, explained Fekry. It’s easy to imagine Fekry wandering the streets with his camera, quietly watching and studying the details of his environment. Only an eye for detail could create the photographic mosaics of Fekry’s current collection.
The final results are images that are symmetric and asymmetric at the same time, Fekry pointed out. “I want to break the 2D of pictures, and bring something from the center. The center, by definition, is a point that “has no form, it is out of space and out of time, Fekry explained. The final result is a pattern that seems infinite, but is limited by boundaries.
Fekry has had a multi-faceted relationship with the arts throughout his career. He’s always been drawn to painting, and studied at the College of Fine Arts, Helwan University in Cairo. Though his studies focused on painting, he went on to take courses in filmmaking, directing several short independent films. However, he took a hiatus from films because he felt that he wanted to develop a better understanding of the image.
“I have to be more precise and clear in my vision, he explained, which he didn’t feel he could accomplish working with film. So, he chose the camera as his artist’s tool.
“Photography is writing with light, Fekry stated. The soft-spoken artist draws your attention with his few quiet words. “It’s all about life. It’s also about time [because] you capture a moment and freeze it for infinity.
“It’s a great experience to meditate on life.
For Fekry, art, he explained, is a way of relating his experiences. “I had to understand what had been imposed on me since my childhood, and see how to find a way to push it away, he stretched his arms outwards as he spoke for emphasis, “to find my true identity that still reflects my roots.
El Nefary SituationsMashrabiya Gallery of Contemporary Art8 Champillion St, Downtown, CairoOpening hours during Ramadan daily except Friday:11 am-2:30 pm & 7-10:30 pmTel: (02) 2578 4494Exhibition runs until Oct 11.
