Forty artists from Egypt, the Middle East and the West all interpreted the ankh, the ancient Egyptian symbol of life, in a travelling art exhibit aimed to promote world harmony and peace.
The 8th CARAVAN travelling exhibition of visual art “THE KEY,” sponsored by real estate development company SODIC, opened at the Nile Art Gallery in Cairo on March 15th. It portrays each artist’s modern three-dimensional fiberglass depiction of the ancient “Key of Life,” using the symbol to illustrate that all people, from the East and West, can live in a peaceful and harmonious world. The ankh, a hieroglyphic character, is seen as the oldest known symbol of pluralism, tolerance and harmony.
The traveling exhibition will show in Cairo until April 12, then move on to London where it will run from June 15 to August 15 at James's Piccadilly. It will lastly travel to New York, where it will be showcased at its final destination - Riverside Cathedral.
“At a time when stereotypes and media hype are increasing the ever widening divide between the Middle East and West, creating growing misconceptions and apprehensions about each other, THE KEY, a strategic East-West art exhibition, seeks to change perceptions and speak directly to the global unconscious," said Paul-Gordon Chandler, founder and president of CARAVAN, an NGO focusing on building bridges through the arts between the Middle East and the West.
Thirty percent of all artwork sales during the exhibit's internationa tour goes towards supporting Educate Me, an Egyptian NGO providing education to underprivileged youth in Giza, Egypt.
“We believe that the arts play a large role in Egyptian society, and provide a powerful platform for communication beyond the capacity of words," said Magued Sherif, SODIC's managing director. "We believe it is our duty to support local arts and to provide communities that interweave superior design and architecture with authentic Egyptian and international art.”
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