In progress:

In pursuit of quality

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By Ali El-Guindy

Mohamed Rizk , painter and graphic designer, was born in 1939. Since his graduation from the Faculty of Applied Arts in 1968, he has had many exhibitions, and some of his works have been acquired by the Museum of Egyptian Modern Art and the Cairo Opera House. He has directed more than 500 exhibitions, festivals, biennales and cultural events. Since 1988, he has been the director of the Gezira Art Centre, home to the Museum of Islamic Ceramics.

Let me tell you about the aims and exhibitions of the Gezira Art Centre. The main aim of the centre is to deliver high quality art to the widest possible audience. We are very selective in what we choose to display, whether in the Museum of Islamic Ceramics or in the other four halls and the garden, which all together constitute the centre.

The Museum of Islamic Ceramics exhibition, for example, consists of 300 masterpieces from all corners of the Islamic world, covering 10 centuries of Islamic history, from the 8th century to the 18th century. There is a harmony and interactive dialogue between the pieces on display and the Islamic Andalusian interior architecture of the building. One feels that the ceramics are situated in their natural environment.

The Museum of Islamic Ceramics is not just home to historical artefacts, but boasts a modern component: a permanent display of the work of Sayed Sadr, a 20th century artist considered to be the pioneer of modern Egyptian ceramics art.

The museum is also a cultural and educational institution. We offer training workshops for children and young people which play an important role in motivating them to be more than passive spectators. The idea is for them to learn how to be creative by understanding the past. You could say we try to teach them how to know, how to do and how to be.

The four halls -- in the basement of the museum -- and the garden offer temporary exhibitions of works by Egyptian and international artists. There is also a video and lecture hall in the basement, and an open-air theatre in the garden.

We concentrate on quality and diversity, on presenting works by artists from different generations. In addition to artists with well- established reputations, I would say about one-third of our attention is devoted to young artists. We are always on the look out for new talent, and offer up and coming artists a chance to exhibit, become known and to interact with current artistic movements.

Nor do we give space only to what happens to be the latest artistic trend. In addition to postmodern art, we present diverse artistic styles including abstract, impressionist and even classical. So too with techniques and mediums: these range from the traditional mediums of oil, pastel and watercolours to installation or video performances. We offer the Gezira Art Centre visitor the opportunity to see all kinds of genres.

We believe in the unity and interconnectedness of the arts. The visual arts, for example, cannot exist in isolation from theatre, or poetry from music. The arts complete each other. In light of this concept of unity we offer a range of different activities at the centre such as open-air theatre performances, musical recitals and poetry evenings. After all, in Greek mythology the nine muses of the arts used to inhabit the same mountain and drink from the same river.

The idea of the Art and Garden exhibition stemmed from the belief that the more audiences interact with art in a natural environment, the more intimate the relationship between the two becomes. When one sees a piece of art while walking down the street or in a garden, the effect is much more intense than if experienced within the four walls of a gallery.

The exhibitions are not confined to the work of Egyptian artists. International artists also exhibit at the centre which aims to promote interaction between artists of all nationalities, foster exchange and increase exposure to the outside world. To take just one example, the Art and Garden exhibition displays sculptures and 3-dimensional art by Egyptian and internationally renowned artists such as Gamal El-Segeini and Mosatafa El-Razzaz from Egypt, Sebastian from Mexico and Bruce Beasly from America.

Thus far, I have only partly achieved my many aspirations as director. I am keen to increase the centre's activities though this requires sponsorship. One of the misfortunes of this country is that economic institutions such as banks and businesses rarely support the arts. They prefer to sponsor events such as football matches, despite the tax-free allowance for sponsorship of the arts. It is a shame there is still no collaboration between business and cultural institutions.

The Gezira Art Centre is a government institution and the Ministry of Culture has a limited budget. In other countries the state is reducing its sponsorship of the arts and the private sector is stepping in. I think the change towards privatisation is a good thing because it facilitates freedom of movement and freedom from the bureaucracy of the state.