CAIRO: Adam Henein is known in the art world as the man who makes stone speak. The carved depth of his sculptures has made him an internationally acclaimed artist and the foundation stone of the art in Egypt. The simple beauty in his lines is more than just his livelihood; it is what has sustained his integrity over the years and is his solid rock against the wave of commercialism that many artists have succumbed to.
The exhibit contains a myriad of sculpted faces, figures and animals. All are sculpted in a precise, strong, straight and angular fashion. They are sometimes curvy and have the soft lines that he is known for. Certain pieces contain a political undercurrent, such as that of The Lady the Robe; a gold statue of a woman, with one side of her body built like a human shield.
“A life in stone is over and above everyday existence; individual and ritualistic, inexplicable, almost divine. said Henein a few years ago in an interview with Al Ahram Weekly.
Yet Henein is not quick to cut the importance of art for commercial value.
One has to survive, he admits in the Al Ahram article, but you don t want to make a fool of yourself just to make money.
Since his first solo exhibition in 1956, he has been compared to Henry Moore, one of the greatest and most celebrated sculptors in the world.
“I never have an idea or a message when I start working, he said on Tuesday night during a live interview with Qahira El Youm. “The idea is not even the basis or the foundation. The way I work, is when I go into my atelier, I walk in, I wander around, clean up a bit, organize my tools, play with a little clay and then the idea grows from my head; it’s not a start or a basis, because as I work, the idea changes and takes different forms and directions and can become something entirely different than what I thought it would be.
What makes Henein’s work resonate with his audience, whether or not they are familiar with art or are part of its world, is that his pieces take an emotional root in the hearts and minds of its viewers.
What you have to do is look. When you look at a stone right, that s when you enter into its spirit. One day you ll find yourself inside it, and only then will you understand what it s all about, he said, according to Al Ahram Weekly’s interview.
According to Henein, what makes sculpture so memorable is that it makes people and things that are long gone, alive; the viewer can touch them, and while all they feel is cool granite beneath their fingertips, paradoxically, that feeling makes the statue come to life.
Henein graduated from Cairo s Academy of Fine Arts in 1953 with honors. Between ’53 and ’65, he lived in Germany, Luxor and Nubia. In 1971 he moved to Paris with his wife, where he shot to fame and joined the art circuit. “Some art contains an emotional aspect and this kind reaches every kind of person, whether they have a background in art or not, said Henein on Qahira El Youm. “Then you have art that contains mental aspects which is mostly understood and appreciated by those who live and breath in the art world.
Whether you’re an art groupie or just a curious body, if you find yourself in Zamalek, let yourself wander into the Zamalek art gallery. Henein’s sculptures will either turn you into a mass of quivering emotion or lead you to wonder what the hype is all about. In either case, something will come out of it.
