Gallery Ward Presents- The Journey-Artists Ayman Elsemary

6 Oct. - 21 Nov. 2013

October 2013- Dubai –UAE: Gallery Ward announces the opening of its second exhibition, a collection of works titled “The Journey” by Egyptian Artist Ayman Elsemary. This is the artist's first solo in the GCC and Gallery Ward's second exhibition in Dubai.
The opening event took place at Gallery Ward in the presence of the Artist who came specially for the occasion and was hosted by co-founders of the gallery, Mr. Ehab Ellaban and Yaser Askar. The event was attended by Dubai's Art lovers and collector and art press.

The works by Elsemary presented in this exhibition are at a glance conceptually and visually rich; drawing on the concept of voyaging on a number of levels; in form, material and content.
The concept of journeying in itself has been a point of departure for the artist on many levels and has remained at the center of his practice.  Case in point, he himself started off his career as an artist with a self-defining journey from the country side of Egypt where he was born, raised and schooled, to city life where he explored himself further as an artist. 
                    
Through his work, Elsemary excavates the essence and meanings of the concept of a ‘journey' and its implications. 

The medium used in this body of work also represents its own form of a journey.  The panels of reclaimed wood used as support; all previously fragments of old houses in the Egyptian countryside were collected from one place and taken to another in order to satisfy the artists need to connect on a material level to his point of departure, his home, his roots. Gold leaf is also predominant in his work, emphasizing the grandeur of ancient civilizations, particularly that of Ancient Egypt. 

Ward is located in AL Qouz district St. 6, next to The Courtyard, Al Quoz, interchange 3, Al Manara, Dubai.
The opening hours: Saturday - Thursday
Timings:10am - 6pm.
Tel: +9714 3883204/ www.galleryward.com

About Ayman Elsemary: Born Kafr Shokr-Kalubia, Egypt, 1965.
Elsemary completed his MA in painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt in 1995, later, in 2001; he attained a PhD in art education at his Alma Mater. 

From 1995 onwards, Elsemary regularly exhibited his work between Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt.  On the international arena, he participated in exhibitions representing contemporary Egyptian art in a number of countries, to name a few; China, 2002, Algeria, 2005, UAE and Check Republic, 2006 and Germany, 2007.  The same year, 2007, Elsemary represented Egypt at the Vienna Biennale.

Amongst the accolades he has achieved throughout his career are; Grand Prize, the 7th Youth Salon, Cairo, Egypt, 1995; Grand Prize, International Union for Plastic Arts Critiques (AIKA), scholarship for three months in art studios, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 1997; Jury Prize, 10th Youth Salon, Cairo, Egypt, 1998; Best Partition Prize, International Dubrovnik Biennial, Croatia, 1999 and Honor Prize and Bronze Medal at the Alexandria Biennial, Egypt, 2003.

Elsemary focuses simultaneously on material, texture and iconography in his works.  His upbringing and heritage provide a fertile starting point for his multi-layered mixed media creations.  He instinctively draws from his immediate environment; cultural, historical, natural and industrial thereby allowing for a myriad of meanings to culminate in his works. 
Elsemary currently lives and works between Cairo and the Egyptian countryside.

About Gallery Ward: Ward was established in Cairo in 2010 by 3 partners, Abdulaziz Al Abdulkader, Yaser Askar and Ehab Ellaban as an idealistic vision; a residential environmental project bringing together nature, architecture, art and culture to create a unique community that lives and interacts with a heightened set of standards and ideals.  After three years of integrating innovative ideas, Ward Art and Culture Center has grown into a platform for regional and international art and culture spaces. Born out of this is Gallery Ward, established in Cairo and now Dubai with plans to open soon in Riyadh, each providing unique manifestations of Ward's overarching vision.