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The second CARAVAN Festival of Art, titled “Harmony: East and West,” was held in Cairo, Egypt during January-February 2010 at the historic St. John’s Church / Maadi.

 

The visual art exhibition involved 46 noted Middle Eastern and Western artists. A literature night was held with Anglo-Afghan New York Times best-selling author Tahir Shah, as well as a closing musical concert with the world renowned Iraqi oud (lute) player Naseer Shamma.

HARMONY

The exhibition was officially opened by The Rt. Rev. & Rt. Hon. Richard Chartres, the then Bishop of London, and Sheikh Ali Gomaa, the Grand Mufti of Egypt at the time; both gave addresses. Twenty percent of all sales proceeds went to Egyptian charities helping the poor. 

CURATOR
Roland Prime

British artist Roland Prime served as the curator for the 2010 visual art exhibition of the CARAVAN Festival of the Arts.  He graduated from Canterbury Christ Church College with a B.A. in Fine Arts where he studied painting and drawing; through the exploration of art his work became gradually more three dimensional.

 

Once qualified in welding, this background led him to also creating large sculptures in steel made from the discarded pieces of metal from the steel industry, a recycled art form, gaining public and private commissions in the process. On his painting, he says, “I had always wanted to paint and explore the variety of expression that can achieved through painting.”

ARTISTS

The 46 premier Middle Eastern and Western participating artists included a diverse range, from one of Egypt’s leading contemporary artists, Mohammed Abla, to renowned ceramicist Mohammed Mandour, to the celebrated Norwegian artist Britt Boutros Ghali and Roland Prime. Each artist submitted one piece of original work done for the exhibition that reflected the title, “Harmony: East and West.”

Mansour Ahmed

Miriam Forham

Mohamed Abla

Mohamed Mandour

Naguib Mahmoud

Naseer Baroody

Omar El Fayoumi

Randa Fakes LoGerfo

Rania Anis

Rania El Hakim

Reda Abdel Rahman

Sabah Naim

Salah El Meligy

Saleh Abd el Sabour

Samia Hosny

Soha Abou Hussein

Ahmed Nossier

Ahmed Selim

Asmaa Takieddine

Bishop Mouneer H Anis

Farid Fadel

Hisham El Zeiny

Isolde Kadry

Maher Ali

MIDDLE EASTERN ARTISTS
WESTERN ARTISTS

Anne du Boistesselin                     France

Britt Boutros Ghali                         Norway

Carolyn Seaton                                   USA

Cath Barnes                                          UK

Connie Fiorelli                               Australia

Cosima Lukashevich                          USA

Dorian Haqmoun                     Switzerland

Emma James                                        UK

Herbert Grimm                             Germany

James Crabb                                    Wales

Julie Klimentos                               Greece

Julie Oxenforth                                               UK

Katrina Vrebalovich                                 Norway

Kimberly Odekirk                                          USA

Lucy Westwood                                              UK

Maaike Draper-Albers               The Netherlands

Marielle van der Woude            The Netherlands

Neil Crouch                                             Canada

Renee van Lille-Demetroudes         South Africa

Roland Prime                                                  UK

Silvia Davies                                         Germany

Thomas Hartwell                                           USA

Harmony, 2011 CARAVAN exhibition
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FILM

The legendary late Egyptian actor Omar Sharif gave a talk on interfaith relations, followed by a screening of his interfaith film Hassan and Morqos (in which he stars together with actor Adel Emam).

 

Mr. Sharif has been given numerous honors, such a three Golden Globe Awards, and a medal by UNESCO for his contribution to world film and cultural diversity.

 

 

LITERATURE NIGHT

The Anglo-Afghan New York Times best-selling author Tahir Shah (the son of the famous Sufi writer Idries Shah) gave a talk on his books followed by a book-signing.

 

Tahir Shah is a champion of what he calls "the East-West Bridge", and he devotes a lot of time and energy into establishing and promoting a "cultural bridge" made up by those who, like him, are both from the East and from the West....believing passionately that people such as he, have a responsibility to "show the East to the West, and the West to the East, highlighting the common cultural heritage of the two, and working towards a common goal.

MUSIC

The world renowned Iraqi oud (lute) master Naseer Shamma gave a solo performance at the CARAVAN Festival of the Arts. Of the event, Naseer Shamma said, “It was always my dream to play inside a church. This deeply moved me.”

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