Ubuntu Art Gallery in Zamalek hosts an exhibition for the late artist Ramses Wissa Wassef.
Titled ‘School of Instinctive Creativity’, the exhibition is held to commemorate Wassef’s memory and his rich artistic journey.
The exhibition contains over 70 artworks of kilim, a flat tapestry-woven carpet or rug, and carpets made by unique artists who were taught in Wassef’s centre.
Wassef studied in France and was greatly influenced by the experimental approach to art.
This experimental approach had a greatest impact on him. Soon after he returned from France, Wassef started showing this influence in factual terms.
He established an art centre in Harraniya, a village of Giza Governorate, in 1951.
He used the centre in teaching villagers, especially children, the art of tapestry-making.
Wassef and his father-in-law, Habib Gorgi had a great influence on Egyptian decorative textiles throughout the 20th century.
Both of them believed in the creative abilities of children. This was why they worked tooth and nail to encourage this potential in these youngsters.
Wassef encouraged Harraniya children to weave images based on things they saw around them in their village, such as women talking, making bread, and washing, and men working in the fields or fishing, wedding parties, birds, and fish.
Wassef’s ideas became very popular. He expanded the range of his products to include embroidered designs.
Initially, all weavers and embroiderers were women and girls. Later, however, Wassef enlisted boys and men in the making of his products at his art centre.
Wassef created his own art movement. This movement was quickly followed by other groups who set up workshops (both for philanthropic and commercial purposes) that produce embroideries, rugs, and tapestries based on the Wissa Wassef format.
This creative format seeped out of this small village in Giza and into the Eastern Mediterranean region.
By the 1970’s, examples of tapestries and embroideries with daily life scenes from Syria and Palestine started to become widely available on a range of items, such as book markers, bags and cards, as well as large cushions and wall hangings.
These forms are still being produced throughout the Middle East.
Wassef’s centre has largely succeeded in resettling the arts of carpet and kilim making. The village and the centre’s products gained international fame as well as praise at international exhibitions, thanks to their artistic originality.
By the time of Wassef’s death, his centre had earned a great reputation and wide fame in various international design houses.
The exhibition runs until June 21.
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