Summary: "Image of Egypt: A Journey in the Memory of the Nation" is an exhibition that presents a blend of artworks and documents reflecting features and pages of Egypt's history across various political events that occurred in successive eras, spanning from the Battle of Mansoura to the opening of the New Suez Canal in 2015.

Some artworks over time transcend being mere artistic expressions through which the artist conveyed an idea or a pivotal moment experienced by the artist or their society. They transform over the years into documents from which one can read features of the nation's history inscribed by the artist's brush, photographer's camera, or sculptor's chisel. Worldwide, there are artworks that have become icons recalled when mentioning certain historical events and wars witnessed by specific countries.

Egyptian history is rich with pages of resistance. In the modern era, there are heroic acts that have become landmarks in the nation's history, such as the stand of the valiant city of Port Said against the Tripartite Aggression, setting an example in resistance and steadfastness through a popular epic whose heroes were ordinary citizens, fedayeen, police, and army. Similarly, the struggle of Egyptians against colonialism and all the heroics they achieved until they gained independence, and earlier, standing against the French campaign in Egypt, culminating in the greatest victory of the modern era in the October War (October) and the full recovery of Sinai.

Art has never been separate from expressing political events in any era. It has always stood alongside documents, historians, and writers. Indeed, expression through various arts may be more capable of spreading and reaching large segments of the public in an easy language that addresses feelings and emotions, transforming into a popular archive of pivotal political events.

Painting by artist Abdel Hadi El-Gazzar about peace after the Tripartite Aggression on Egypt (Exhibition)

Aisha Fahmy Palace in Cairo hosts an exhibition titled "Image of Egypt: A Journey in the Memory of the Nation," presenting artworks, documents, and photographs that chronicle the history of resistance in Egypt in the modern era. These works were collected from 11 museums across the country to offer a historical narrative from an artistic perspective.

The exhibition presents a blend of paintings, sculptures, documents, photographs, newspapers and magazines that reflect features and pages of Egypt's history across various political events that occurred in successive eras, spanning from the Battle of Mansoura to the opening of the New Suez Canal in 2015.

The "Image of Egypt" exhibition comes as an extension of a series of historical art exhibitions that seek to present Egyptian history through art, and have witnessed large public turnout, starting with the "Al-Khabia" exhibition, passing through the "Alexandria in 300 Years" exhibition, then the "Saad Zaghloul" exhibition at the Alexandria Museum of Fine Arts, up to the "Umm Kulthum... Voice of Egypt" exhibition held at the same location in Aisha Fahmy Palace in Zamalek. The "Image of Egypt" exhibition continues the same series.

Paintings from 11 museums

Artist Ali Said, General Director of Art Centers at the Sector of Fine Arts and the exhibition's artistic curator, says: "The exhibition brings together artworks that tell and document modern Egyptian history, citing some international works by the most famous artists who have become icons mentioned whenever that event is recalled, such as Delacroix's 'Liberty Leading the People,' which is an icon of the French Revolution, Picasso's 'Guernica,' depicting the Spanish town of the same name during its bombing by the Germans in World War II, and Francisco Goya's 'The Third of May 1808,' inspired by the execution of Spanish independence fighters by French forces, and many others. Each is linked to events and political causes in different countries."

Photographs documenting pivotal political events in Egypt's history (Exhibition)

He adds: 'Some artists accuse artistic work stemming from political motivation of being less expressive than the artist's overall artistic output, considering that some of these works are sometimes commissioned by the state. This has been known throughout history, starting from ancient Egyptian murals that reflected wars and victories. But this is not always true. Sometimes the painting is the strongest and most important witness when discussing that event. When Picasso depicted the bombing of the village of Guernica during the Spanish War, it became one of the most famous testimonies of the event, despite the existence of dozens of documents, books, and others. But the impact of the painting was stronger. Visual arts have a great role in reaching people easily.'

He continues: 'The artworks included in the exhibition were collected from 11 museums in different regions of the country. Preparation took a long time and multiple tours over more than a year to settle on the works to be displayed that align with the general context of the exhibition. They were indeed settled upon, and procedures for their transport and display at Aisha Fahmy Palace, which hosts the exhibition, began according to the specified historical framework.'

A painting depicting the Battle of Mansoura in Egypt and the victory over the French (Exhibition)

Regarding the most important works in the exhibition, Said points out: 'In my view, one of the most important exhibited works is a painting by artist Gazbia Sirry depicting Gamal Abdel Nasser with the Egyptian people in 1956, a pivotal year in Nasser's rule, which witnessed the nationalization of the Suez Canal, the Tripartite Aggression against Egypt, the closure of the Suez Canal, and the unity of the entire Egyptian people in an epic embodying resistance and struggle. This work is normally displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in Cairo. Another work is about the Battle of Mansoura by artist Abdelaziz Darwish, displayed at the Mansoura Museum. It is a great opportunity for Cairenes to view these valuable works before they are returned to their original museums.'

A historical narrative, but through art

What distinguishes the 'Image of Egypt' exhibition is that it not only displays artworks by an elite group of Egyptian artists, but also presents a historical narrative according to a methodology that takes the visitor on a journey through pivotal events that Egypt experienced, showcasing heroics performed by the people and lines in the history of resistance and defense of the homeland. The different historical milestones included occupation, revolutions, war, and peace, along with major projects that impacted the country in various ways, such as digging the Suez Canal and building the High Dam.

Various arts captured features of the history of resistance in Egypt and expressed them through multiple means (Exhibition)

The extensive research and historical effort in the exhibition was conducted by history lecturer Islam Asem. He explains: 'In this exhibition, we present to the public milestones from Egypt's history, created by the fingertips of an elite group of Egyptian artists. We adopted a historical methodology as a general organized framework for the exhibition. Alongside the artworks, we utilized magazines and newspapers that covered the event and talked about it, as well as photographs that represent an important type of visual art. In such historical events, they acquire double value due to their historical and documentary significance.'