“Visions of Egypt” Exhibition
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The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is opening an exhibition, entitled “Visions of Egypt”, on 11 January 2016. The exhibition displays the visions of two artists who used photography to express their attachment and affection to the Egyptian lifestyle with years living in Egypt. Thus, we have been bestowed with the privilege of having these two glimpses of Egypt at a very special period of its modern history. With much appreciation, we would like to thank Artist Jack Johnathan for his artistic donations and Dr. Mohamed Awad for giving us the right to use his collection of Artist Haig Dilekyan’s photographs.
Jack Johnathan’s family fled to Egypt, where he was born and raised, at the beginning of the twentieth century. When Jack Jonathan set out to create an exhibition of photographs of his homeland, he wanted to show more than the ancient monuments and mosques that symbolized all of Egypt in the public’s imagination. He was preparing to leave the land he called home for three decades, and as a parting gift, he created a photographic exhibition of the people of Egypt as they had never been seen before. He showed Egyptians as they appeared to him: peaceful and strong. The images are as crisp and engaging as they were fifty years ago.
Haig Dilekyan was an Armenian photographer who had lived and worked in Egypt during the mid-twentieth century. His photography studio was located in the heart of Alexandria at al-Masala Street—currently known as Safia Zaghloul Street. We reached his photographic works through the Alexandrian architect, Dr. Mohamed Awad, who owns a collection, or rather a rich archive, of ancient photographs reflecting the artistic personality of their photographer, Dilekyan. The collection includes a diverse range of subjects and locations that were selectively recorded by the artist’s lens.
The opening will be on Monday, 11 January 2016 at 1:00 pm in the East and West Exhibition Halls, the BA Conference Center.