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Art gives way for better understanding (Part I)

Luxor, 16. till 20. February, 2004 - Behind the Luxor temple with the mosque of Abu Haggag, in front of the mosque of Sheikh Negn with its unusual rectangular minaret, for some days a strange scene unfolded to passerby's eyes. Two young women are crouching on the ground of the parking area for tourist busses. Already with half an eye recognizable: one is Egyptian, one European. Fore sure everyone who discovers them there is going to ask himself a bit sceptical, what on earth they are doing there. Both of them are completely concentrated. Concentrated in their work. In their hands they are holding thick pieces of coloured chalk, around them something comes into being. For Egypt an entire novelty. A painting on coarse-grained asphalt. "With our work we like to give a present to the people of the town - to both Egyptians and foreigners - at the same time encourage them talk, to discuss with each other," the young ladies are answering questions of passerby of various nationality.

Also we of course are curious about what's going on. During a break we ask them, they do not hesitate to tell us about their "German-Egyptian Art Project", as you can read modestly written on a simple tape when coming closer. The two young women are the Egyptian art student Shayma Aziz, 23, and the German painter Carola Rümper, 26, who since November is living in Luxor to prepare and realise together with Sheyma their sidewalk project.

It was in March 2002 when they met for the first time. During the group exhibition "horizontal limits" shown at the "Faculty of Fine Arts" in Luxor by the KünstlerinnenForum Münsterland in which Carola participated. Since that time Shayma and Carola stay permanently in contact. "Shayma was the only woman who was looking for contacts with me. The other female students were very, very reserved. May be it was because their knowledge in English language wasn't very good," Carola remembers.

One year later Carola visited Luxor a second time, and of course met again with Shayma. During many discussions in that time and later by eMail they found out a lot of personally and artistically subjects in common. Particular that in Egypt and specifically in Luxor nearly no woman will be seen working in the public, for a foreign female artist it becomes nearly impossible to make contact with Egyptian women. This was why in the heads of Shayma and Carola the idea was born to start a cooperative art project worked out in a public area. To create a way and space of art where people of different nationalities, cultures and religions can come together, can go for each other, can be open to talk and discuss with each other. Carola: "Even it meanwhile sounds like a cliché, but especially after the incidents of the last years in the countries of the Near and the Middle East with this piece of art we like to show our way to win muslims and non-muslims over to be open for more understanding."

In between eternity and transitoriness

As a second tempting aspect of the project the artists back on contrast. They form a contrast between eternity (the pharaonic art) and transitoriness (the fast-moving modern times). Because, as Carola explains the concept: "Usually foreigners travel to Luxor because the history going back thousands of years. We want to bring our small art-work faco to face with it, an art-work that will be destroyed within two or three weeks. Destroyed by sun, wind and sand, destroyed by the feet of passerby, destroyed by the tires of cars and wheels of the horse-drawn carriages." These main aspects are underlined by the calculated choice of the place. Namely that is the neighbourhood of a pharaonic temple (picture below, in the back Luxor temple with Abu Haggag mosque) and two islamic mosques, as well as the mostly crowded square in the heart of the city.

Carola's artistic work on the coarse asphalt basically is inspired by the Islamic ornamentation. She alienates and abstracts these ornaments as far as the black outlines and coloured spaces do start a life of it's own. And then Shayma fills the empty spaces with creative figures and symbols. Adds her imagination as a supplementation to Carola's rich variety of forms. The puzzling punchy black lines and colourful parts are creating a completely new and different visual expression. The classical Islamic ornaments, ancient Egyptian reliefs and characters undergo a metamorphosis into contemporary art. And by choosing the colours of the region (red, blue, yellow and green tones) Shaima and Carola want to emphesize their admiration and close attachment to the city of Luxor. (Text and Fotos Antje Sliwka)

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