Rania Ezzat: It is love spreading!

March sees a focus on art in Dubai and this year we have not only Art Dubai, the leading contemporary art fair in the region, but also the Sikka Art Fair which showcases emerging and established Emirati and locally based artists.

Sikka means alleyway and the Sikka Art Fair is held in the winding alleyways of Al Bastakiya, one of the oldest residential areas in Dubai, dating back to the 1890’s and recently restored.

Sikka evokes the idea of a journey of discovery, and in a sense the Sikka Art Fair is not only a journey down the alleyways of undiscovered art but also showcases the journeys of emerging artists challenging the conventional routes of art and culture and the change of direction of established artists as they change theme, technique or media.

Art too has to travel the alleyways of evolution.

Doors are opened for art enthusiasts from all walks of life to engage actively with the participating artists through discussions and workshops.

In so doing the alleyways of the mind open themselves for introspection and reflection. The slow meandering through the “sikka” and the engagement with the art works induces a corresponding internal walk where thoughts and emotional memories perhaps long forgotten are encountered once again.

Much that is unconscious may be brought to light, for human consciousness has many alleyways, some of them dark and untravelled. At times there is the feeling of being lost until suddenly one comes again upon a point one recognizes. It is a journey of contemplation, but more than that a journey of discovery.

At the centre of this journey is the discovery of identity for both the individual and the collective.

My visit to the Sikka Art Fair was to lead me round more than one unexpected corner.

Shortly upon arrival, after taking in the aroma emanating from a little shop burning frankincense on its doorstep and being surprised by a rider on a camel passing me in one alleyway, I set about discovering the house where a talk which I had seen advertised was to be held. 

“It will not be televised. Contemporary Art and Contemporary History” was the title of the talk with guest speakers Fatma Lootah and Rania Ezzat, and I was not at all sure what it would encompass.

As my last blog post was entitled  “Egypt and the Awakening  of Planetary Consciousness”,  I was thrilled to discover that the talk would  focus on the current affairs in the Middle East, especially the happenings in Egypt, and the role of art in this milieu.

Shortly after the talk began we were shown a video of a very powerful performance by Rania Ezzat. Born in Cairo and having studied Fine Arts in Cairo and Geneva, Rania currently lives and works in Dubai.

Rania spoke of the whole issue of identity and the new ways one experiences the relationship and love one has for one’s country upon leaving it to live elsewhere.  She expressed her frustration at not being with her family members on Tahrir Square and her concerns for their safety. Her need to sacrifice something for Egypt at this time was strong, and so in a symbolic act and to the music of the old Egyptian anthem, “Eslami ya Misr” – “Be safe O Egypt”, she cuts off her long hair in the midst of the performance.

“Life is a journey” has almost become a cliché, but the presence of the “sikka” as a backdrop to this talk was a reminder of the fact that in this day and age more and more of us are finding ourselves in countries other than the ones we were born in.

After dealing with nostalgia for one’s country of birth, there are the issues of breaking free from long held conventions no longer applicable in the new surroundings,  discovering to what extent one has been conditioned by one’s upbringing, being exposed to new ways of being, integrating, engaging in cross-cultural dialogue, and so the list continues.  There is the challenge to think differently as one is faced with new ways of looking at life. The picture becomes even bigger. Identity has to be discovered and ongoingly rediscovered on a personal, national and global level.

Artists living abroad face the challenge of not only pursuing a career on an international level but of working with the region they find themselves in while at the same time remembering where they have come from.

Rania spoke of her own journey, issues of identity, and of the fact that sometimes chaos is essential for blossoming.

Her most powerful statement, in my opinion however, was that the revolution in Egypt was not just for Egypt. “It is love spreading!” she said.

At this point I felt a strong resonating and a sense of connection. 

Love is indeed spreading and today we see it opening its embrace even wider.