CAIRO: “And the nurse will tell you lies, of a kingdom beyond the skies, but I am lost within this half-world, it hardly seems to matter now, sang Phil Collins in an all-time favorite, Musical Box by Genesis from the 1971 album titled Nursery Cryme.
This song may not be climbing the charts anymore, but artist Amre Heiba remembers it quite well. The song is the inspiration for his new exhibition; an art book with each page a reflection of his feelings toward the song in no particular order.
During the time he was preparing for the exhibition, Heiba used to listen to the song non-stop. “It is not an illustration of the song, he explains. “I listen, then I put down what I hear . the way I hear it.
The song’s dark lyrics are clear in the works, even if it is not a direct transition from text to image. According to Clare Davies, associate curator at the Townhouse Gallery, “the problematic transition from childhood to adulthood, a threatening sexuality and the passage of time are recurrent themes that haunt these works.
This is the second time Heiba has used text in his artwork. The last graphic exhibition he did was based on poetry by the Iraqi artist Bab El Shaker El Zayat.
Alexandrian Heiba is an artist with many talents, although he specializes in graphics. While he originally studied biochemistry, he later moved to Munster, Germany, to pursue advanced studies in graphic design. He is a member of the Goethe Institute, l’Ateleir and the Visual Arts Syndicate, and has had 13 solo exhibitions since 1988.
The technique he uses in this particular exhibition is called etching, which means he produces a design on a hard material by engraving into the materials surface. This time, Heiba chose a zinc plate as his medium.
Heiba is a gentleman farmer as well as an artist. This free spirit lives on his farm, where he takes care of his animals as well as continues to practice his art. He says, “When it’s my mood to do paintings, I do paintings, when it’s my mood to do graphics, I do graphics; and when it’s my mood to work on my farm, I work on my farm.
View Heiba’s work at the Townhouse Gallery, 10 Nabrawy St., Downtown, through April 5.
