We have long discussed authenticity and modernity, with numerous attempts to draw from heritage. However, Ahmed Shiha has managed to condense time and embody the deep feelings of melancholy that dwell within Egypt today. The exhibition “Egyptian Spirit” by Ahmed Shiha features nearly 50 artworks, along with the signing of a book published by Picasso East Gallery. This book contains the artist’s works throughout his creative years, showcasing various phases and techniques, accompanied by critical studies from some of the most renowned critics in the Arab visual arts movement.
The visions that Ahmed Shiha presents in his paintings are rare occurrences, and their existence is uniquely formed. This formation reveals a highly sensitive artist whose brilliance shines through. As the threads of his work intertwine and his spaces become complex, one cannot help but feel that behind all this lies a clear vision of a strange, magical creation. We wish that this could shape a universe in which we live or that the world we inhabit could transform into the kind of extraordinary realm that Ahmed Shiha perceives and conveys to us—familiar yet profoundly clear and mysterious.
Here, we express a sentiment that we have often repeated to the point of losing its meaning, but now we say it while discovering and realizing for the first time that it is beautiful… What a beautiful word it is.