An unlikely community has absolute faith in recent social and political changes from the January 25 Egyptian Revolution. They’re breaking new ground in post-Revolution Cairo with a little side-step from social norms.
African refugees in Egypt, a population know to exist under the government radar during the Hosni Mubarak dictatorship, are stepping forward for a public audience with the establishment of Tuckol Visual Contemporary Art Gallery, in Cairo. Located above the bustling Shawarby market, near local hot-spot Talaat Harb St., Tukol Art Gallery spotlights promising artists of Egyptian and African origins to an international audience.
Stirring Up News
Tuckol Visual Contemporary Art Gallery was established by Sudanese and Egyptian artists residing in Cairo. “Tuckol” (pronounced as it reads, tuck-ol) comes from the Sudanese word for small, traditional kitchen made of mud brick. True to their concept, Tuckol provides each artist a humble space for exhibiting their artistic blend into the gallery mix.
The gallery objective is to cultivate and nurture diverse ideas for cultural dialogue and communication. Tuckol is home-grown from the grassroots, founded by a band of brothers in art from across Africa with a plethora of experience between them.
The Men Behind the Magic
Walid Farog leads Tuckol. A Sudanese man from Om Durman, a city meaning Mother of Peace, he has lived in Cairo for four years. Walid first established himself as fashion designer before volunteered his magic toward teaching refugee girls to make dresses for a fashion show in Townhouse Gallery, Cairo 2010. The endeavor developed over eight months, Mar-Oct, and was sponsored by the Spanish Embassy in Cairo. That experience provided the connections and know-how for founding his own gallery.
Walid is a veteran artist with painting excellent since the age of eight. He won first prize in a Hungarian contest for his Sudanese-themed painting when he was twelve years old.
Other founding artists share Egyptian and Sudanese decent with equally impressive careers spanning the greater Middle East and North African (M.E.N.A.) regions.
Samuel John Deng is the acclaimed, abstract figure artist from Malakam, in southern Sudan. He is recognized among the group as the most interesting artist. While still at university in 1994, Deng won first prize against competing artist in Blue Nile, Ethiopia. In 1997, he participated in an Arab competition in Libya where he won third prize. Fifteen days later, he submitted his work to the Malta Royal Gallery for his first solo exhibition.
Samuel Den is very popular, for reasons evident in his career. His work toured throughout Syria over 2 years. While in Syria, it caught the eye of Jordanian officials, who formally invited him to show his art in the Jordan Ministry of Culture. Today, his teaches art at St. Andrews Refugee School in Cairo.
Deng says he learned to draw before he learned to write. He has committed his life to young artists and shares the same admiration for them as Pablo Picasso. “Art of children, and any creative thing or any action they do, it comes out [truest].”
NAZAR MUSA NOREEN is from Sudan, South Cordafan. He started painting at age seven in Khartoum and excelled beyond borders. His first exhibit was for Iraq Council in Sudan, 1997, and most recent for “the Faces of Sudan” exhibit at Opera House, 2008. In his spare time, Noreen volunteered as Painting Teacher for the community of Mt. Nuba in Sudan and for the
Student Action For Refugees (S.T.A.R.) in Cairo. With S.T.A.R., Noreen sold refugee art in public exhibitions and graduated from the University of Sudan with a B.A. in painting, 1997.
Art collectors and gallery directors have already lifted up his work to the European communities. After seeing his art showcased in Africa, dealers fell in love and shipped his work to Europe for exhibit.
There’s a lot of hope among the group for more luck for all African artists in Cairo. “This will open all doors for African people in Egypt and give opportunities for people to exhibit, promote and sell their art,” says Noreen. Noreen knows many great artists in Cairo and looks forward to giving them that needed lift.
Egyptian artist Mostafa Hedayat hails from Cairo, and is the most energetic of the group.
Mostafa Hedayat established construction of Tuckol, and distributed invites to the British Council, Spanish and Russian. He also designed the Tuckol logo. He specializes in oil paint and has exhibited in Egypt, and in New York and Colorado, United States. Mostafa graduated from the Faculty of Fine Art of the Alexandria University, 2008.
What’s Not to Love?
Visiting the gallery entertains the adventurous spirit. From the entrance, climb the left staircase to the first floor, ascending the elevator servicing odd-floors only to the 7th level, then walk down to the 6th floor. Enter room 19. The building is split from the first floor upwards, with linear routes on both sides. The gallery is an apartment converted for business. There are three rooms, two beige and a third lined with questionable purple fabric. The purple may work with the paintings, or take from the experience. As always, discussions are encouraged.
The gallery currently exhibits a mix of surrealist, abstract, post-modern and expressionist styles drawing from such renown artists as Keith Gromen and Jean-Basque, as well as tribal-folk traditions. Individual artists’ work are grouped within a room, in each room, and contrasted among different styles.
Tuckol Art gallery is a non-profit organization that currently collects a percentage from art sales to maintain the space. Tuckol is appealing for sponsors to support the gallery. The founding artists invite marketing and business volunteers toward the success. Teamwork and community are the foundation of the Tuckol mission.
"This project will unite the African and Egyptian artists of Egypt. I hope this will also develop relations between the fine art communities Africa and Europe and the Americas. This will help market African art and gain attention of the Western World.” asserts Mostafa Hedayat. “No separation of anyone. Only artists."
An excellent test of national stability lies in successful achievement in such endeavors as Tuckol. It is said the prosperity of the art community is an indicator of the health of the governing body, and this outgoing project of Cairo’s Sudanese art community supports a most positive outlook modern Middle East observers could hope for.
Tuckol Visual Contemporary Art Gallery opened its doors March 20 to a warm reception. Current operating hours are 10am-2pm and 6-11pm. DAYS>>> Gallery Operator, Walid Farog can be reached at tuckolart@gmail.
Sources:
- Tuckol Visual Contemporary Art Gallery.
Naila Haris - holds a graduate degree in Middle East Studies, with diplomas in Political Science and Studio Art.
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