Noor Art Gallery: Two Artists Search for The Light Within…

In pursuit of their life goals to document the human experience, two Egyptian artists came together to use their delicate and competent mastery of their paint brushes to capture inner light.

Egyptian-Canadian Artist Wagih Yassa and Egyptian Artist and Professor at the Faculty of Applied Arts Dowa Hattem showcased captivating paintings at Azad Gallery in Zamalek from October 26 to November 2.

The gallery named Noor, Arabic for light, was a textbook illustration of how visual perception of artworks are created from the ability to voice what is untold and unheard.

Hattem is driven by unveiling human experience through art, feelings and sentiments and her drive provides a profound clarification of who, or rather what, Noor is.

“Finding our light compliments our quest for happiness, the wisdom of happiness, one that is declared in all religions and all philosophies,” said Hattem.

“The subsequent outcome, that is our fulfillment with all blisses of life, nourishes not only our bodies, but also our souls, the core of our being,” she added.

Noor provides an insight into the necessity of obtaining, in accordance to Hatem, “a light of knowledge,” rather than only acquiring an intense amount of knowledge. The necessity lies in conjoining altered understandings, however little they may be, and reflecting on their power on our minds, choices, and feeling, and hence our being.

“Honestly, this is what I have been looking for for quite some time now, and I’m hoping, through my paintings, spectators would get a grip of a sense of elevation, spiritually and intellectually,” added Hattem.

Graphic Design Student Menna Galaly attested the success of the exhibition when she said, “One second you look at a painting and it does something to you. It is indescribable, you cannot just put it into words. You feel it.”

Hattem attempts to communicate her message, not to a certain segment of audiences, but rather to what she deemed as, “the world of art.” The key to success in art is the ability to address people of different backgrounds, cultures and attain a wide-ranging understanding of the artists’ art. 

“My aim is to send a message to humankind. What I deem as a fine artist is one that is of the ability to peel off external layers of humans, to come into contact with the light within their souls, regardless of where they come from,” Hattem told The Caravan.

For her exhibited paintings, Hattem’s go-to materials of choice are usually, oil colors, with a slight use of silver and golden paper on canvas.

She added that, on selected days during the exhibition, she, together with Yassa, live-painted portraits of their audience. This allowed for a more laid-back, cozy ambiance at the gallery, from the audience meeting the artists, to them meeting with a diverse sect of people.

“Painting someone you know almost nothing about is rather thought-provoking because it allows me to paint my swift impressions of a person. It is, indeed, an interesting experience for the artist, as well as the audiences,” Hattem clarified.

From reflecting on the meaning of life through her paintings to using it as her muse, Hattem further emphasized the significance of caressing our souls. This is especially important for artists, whom she deemed as being in constant internal fights.

“Put yourself before the artist within you. Explore the human side of you, then explore some more. Make it as a human and then as an artist. Look for your exploratory journey in life and most importantly, do not lose sight of your soul in the process,” said Hattem.

Oftentimes, artists come together in attempt to further expand their artistic knowledge and understandings with one another. Hattem and Yassa came to grasp that they share parallel admiration for color.

“Yassa relies on the power of emotion,” said Hattem.

“His artworks attain a rather large emotional impulse that reaches the public very easily, allowing for their interaction with his pieces,” she added.

In spite of his rather different approach, that is producing, for the most part, abstract paintings, their mutual appreciation for color assisted in the assembly of their exhibition. 

“Both of us are absorbed in color, and color, essentially, is concomitant with light. Through color, we provide appreciation to light, and light is the protagonist in my artwork, the engine of my design and of my conscience,” explained Hattem.

Seconding her was Yassa when he added, “the light is the most important part of an art piece, especially that we see the color through the light. Also, because I’m, originally, a watercolor artist, light is of infinite meaning to me.”

What could be of one meaning to one, could differ to another. “I usually aim, through my art, not to send a specific message and allow the audience to indulge in my pieces,” added Yassa.

Yassa possesses the ability to revive the colors in his works, as well as being of decent knowledge, and expertise, of using shade and light and powerfully expressing the conflict between them.

“Practice, practice, and practice. Read and further your artistic knowledge,” Yassa concluded with a note to up-and-coming artists.