Egyptian artist showcases India in art exhibition

An art exhibition by a renowned Egyptian artist, entitled 'Visit to India', has been inaugurated by Indian Ambassador to Egypt, Sanjay Bhattacharyya in the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC) here.
In his exhibition which was inaugurated yesterday, artist Mohamed Abla depicts scenes and situations from everyday life in different cities of India. The paintings include scenes from Delhi streets, people visiting temples, the Jama Masjid, people selling sweets, colourful traditional costumes and other sights and sounds of the country.
"India is the land of diversity and it is a great strength of ours. For this diversity we have found a certain balance, a certain harmony and acceptance. We learned to live, adapt, grow and create new teams and cultures and this is the way we interact with each other in a much more intimate manner," the Ambassador said.

Through the exhibition, Bhattacharyya said he was able to glimpse a perspective of India which was not often seen.
"The eyes through which the artist sees another culture are always fascinating. In Mohamed Abla's paintings of India, he has shown us visions that we often do not see and I think that this is the essence of cultural exchange," Bhattacharyya said.
Abla is well known for his paintings of abstract sceneries in Egypt.

"The exhibition presents a 'reading' for the India as I saw it," Abla said.
"One of that great thing that you will learn from it is tolerance for its great diversity," he added.

The exhibition is hosted in the MACIC, in association with the Egypt India Friendship Association (EIFA), a non-governmental, voluntary organisation established in 1952.
"Mohamed Abla is a good friend to India and he has travelled to India and was with us in a number of occasions," Rakesh Kawra, the director of the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture said.
"One of the targets of this exhibition is to say that there is an active association, which I am a member in it, called Egypt India Friendship Association (EIFA), which aims at bringing both Indians and Egyptians together," Abla said.
He was selected by the Egyptian government in September 2013 to represent Egyptian artists as one of 50 members tasked with drawing up a new constitution.

In 2009, the League of Arab States selected him to organise an exhibition at New Delhi. He visited India for the second time in 2010 at the invitation of Lalit Kala Academy.
"India can be described as a huge world rich with colours, people of different races, stories and legends. India can show the visitors many faces and so it needs many years to know India well," he said.
Visiting different places in India is almost like going back to history books. However, you can still explore the horizons of the future in other corners, Abla said.
The exhibition was opened to public on August 20 and will be open from August 23 to 26 at MACIC.