Venezuela’s ambassador to Egypt Victor Carazo inaugurated last week “Caribbean Images on Pharaonic Lands by the contemporary Venezuelan painter Carlos Rojas at the Karmat Ibn Hani Cultural Centre of the Ahmed Shawki Museum.
In a firework of acrylic oil colors on canvas, Rojas portrays the essence of “Caribbeanness inviting the visitor to undertake an imaginary journey into this distant part of the world. The exhibition was a gift that the internationally acclaimed artist, who in the past few years repeatedly exhibited his works in Spain and France, created for the Egyptian public, hence the title.
The scenes of every day Venezuelan life Rojas captures are magical: Innocent children playing in the sun, voluptuous women dancing blissfully and men harvesting a flock of fish.
The lush vegetation sprinkled with watermelons, pineapples and bananas adds to the otherworldly paradisiacal atmosphere, as does the innovative framing within which Rojas encloses his images. Several images bear the mark of stamps and traces of hand-writing, reminding the viewer that these images are essentially idealized, picture-perfect postcards.
Rojas explains that through this 23-image series he wanted to capture the similarities between Egyptians and people from the Caribbean, a region historically bearing a profound African imprint through the slave trade.
“While Egypt and the Caribbean might be far geographically and also culturally, they are similar in many ways, Rojas told Daily News Egypt.
“The people from the Caribbean are very natural and simple, full of energy and a genuine joy to be alive. I reflected this power and happiness in the colors and the vegetation – and I find these characteristics also here in Egypt. I see them reflected, for example, in the small markets on the street.
The similarities Rojas refers to are difficult to escape. “We also have bananas and palm trees in Egypt! one commented. The fantastic color compositions are sure to enchant. “It has been a very lovely trip to the Caribbean and “You certainly conquered us with your paintings are just a few of the comments left in his guest book.
It’s the third time Rojas visits Egypt, but what difference does he see in his portrayal of the Caribbean and the Pharaonic lifestyle?
He laughs. “Well, the women’s clothes are certainly different, he says, pointing to the short dresses of the female protagonists in his canvasses. He also struggles to identify an Egyptian equivalent of the name-giver of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Simon Bolivar, a 19th century South American hero who struggled for liberty and freedom from colonialism.
In this magic Caribbean exposition, Bolivar’s counterfeit is surrounded by endless repetitions of the Spanish word for “Freedom, underlining how Bolivar’s frequent invocations have today turned him into part of a cultural myth. His portrait nevertheless stands out in this mythical series, yet it attracts the least attention.
Carlos Rojas’ works will be shown until Oct. 25 daily from 10 am to 2 pm and 6pm to 10pm at the Ahmed Shawki Museum, El Nil Street, Giza Corniche.
