Arab Women Artists Now! An Interview with Hany El Ghamry

Art Travelling in London means the world comes to you much of the time! March 2024 sees the AWAN — Arab Women Artists Now! — festival in London. A wide range of activities and approaches abound in the festival, from literary events to films, music and visual art.

I went to see “Tale Tonic” an exhibition at the Africa Centre showcasing works by Egyptian artists Marianne Fahmy and Nada El Kalaawy. Both artists use cultural motifs, found pictures, objects, and historical references to create literal and metaphorical visualisations.

The concept of “Tale Tonic” encapsulates Fahmy and El Kalaawy’s skill in crafting intricate and imaginative narratives within their art. This exhibition creates an immersive storytelling environment, inviting viewers to contemplate, inquire, and form their own hypotheses. It encourages individual interpretation and facilitates a deeply personal and subjective connection with the artworks.

In this way, says curator Hanya ElGhamry, the exhibition aims to challenge the idea of a single, authoritative interpretation of perception. El Kalaawy and Fahmy invite us to consider how historical references, cultural motifs, and discovered pictures shape our world, allowing us to examine and reflect on historic material freely and honestly.

Marianne Fahmy presented two large and beautiful jacquard woven rugs. Fahmy is not a ‘textile artist’ per se. She works across media with a strong emphasis on film, photography, and…