Omar Abdel Zaher

Visual Artist

    Omar Abdel Zaher

    About Omar Abdel Zaher

    Omar Abd El-Zaher’s talent originated from his Aswan roots since he was a child. He was affected by shadow play art, as he combined both composition and storytelling. He graduated from the Graphics department, Faculty of Fine Arts in 1991. He was initially interested in Graphics art (engraving), as it is related to the different printing types. Alongside, he maintained his interest and kept up to date with all other modern art movements. His artistic phases throughout his entire career has connected his double life: The life of that artist and his experience on one hand, and social life on the other. That was where his career had took off and this is where it keeps going in such an amazing way.

    Abd El-Zaher’s career largely consisted of an instinctive disclosure of Egyptian culture. His inspiration was a mixture of his surroundings with its millennial legacies as well as contemporary topics. Both factors (old and contemporary) helped shape his artistic talent which currently  manifest Folk and Nubian culture in the most amazing way possible.

    He could not have done it without being totally familiar with the history of former Egyptian artists who were aware of the peculiarities  of life in rural Upper Egyptian life with all its uniqueness and apparent oddness to outsiders. Moreover, he combined the authenticity of his amazing innate talent with research, as he was concerned with the Impressionists in the West as well as Indian art in the East which articulated his unique style that currently has all these natural, cultural, and artistic inputs combined.

    Abd El-Zaher’s paintings reveal themes that encompass both sentiments and emotions that originated from delving deeply into his roots,  as well as the current intellectual and technical developments in Artistic and color compositions. All these elements are instantly obvious in his artworks, as he boldly and spontaneously manifests the vibrant upper everyday life, such as “Henna Night“, “The Wedding“, and “The day after the Wedding“. Throughout his artistic experiment, he used vibrant colors combined with folk poetry, but with his own unique style that is far removed from the stalemate stickler academic style.

    Although some short-sighted critics may claim that the audience got used to such themes, Abd El-Zaher produced them in such a captivating unique style way that is poles apart from the sentimental reality, yet at the same time, parallel to it.  In other words, his paintings were inspired by folk tales, such as Hassan & Naiema, Antar & Abla, and so many others; however, he did not simply reproduce those Pop Culture themes as previous generations of artists may have done, but he  linked them to some Nubian faces which reflects his own ethnic heritage.

    Furthermore, he has used animals a lot. Cats, birds, gooses, and fish are frequently used in his paintings as visual connotations of far deeper meanings than what would appear on the surface. In fact, the use of animals emphasizes and underlines his exceptional heritage. He also uses a juxtaposition of both exaggeration and simplicity through a certain creative vision that generates a complex code which the artist beautifully  addresses via irregular conceptual solutions.

    In his artworks, the Sun is used as a permanent source of light which signifies the intensity of shadows and conveys the brightness of colors. Yet, we can see black lines that frame and protect it from mingling with the rest of the components. He employs the eccentric yet unique Egyptian (Nubian) vibe color palette, such as the use of the doves’  white color in men’s clothes and the glowing bright colors in women’s clothes. 

    Any artist knows that it is hard to use oil paint on a square format, but Abd El-Zaher manages it as if he is a musician who is totally aware of the importance of musical pauses in a symphony. He aptly realizes the vital role of air and vacuum in managing the viewers’ eyes movement as it rolls through his beautiful characters and artistic components.

    In addition, he is courageous and clever enough to properly employ color oppositions using ornamental motifs, and he occasionally portrays his characters as a part of that ornamental mood. He does not leave any dimension of an artwork’s three dimensions without coloring it in a complementary perspective. Some critics consider Abd Elzaher the true representative of reality with an exceptional ability of expression and performance.

    He held many private galleries including one in Atelier Du Caire 1988, and several exhibitions in the Centre of Arts in Zamalek 2000, 2003, and 2004. He also took part in many group galleries, and his paintings are portrayed to the public  in places, like the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art, as well as the Culture and Development Fund. His amazing artworks also form a formidable part of the collection of important art collectors both inside and outside Egypt. 

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