Gamal Fahmy Resists Pandemic Gloominess With Vibrant Colors

Gamal Fahmy Resists Pandemic Gloominess With Vibrant Colors
TT
20

Gamal Fahmy Resists Pandemic Gloominess With Vibrant Colors

Gamal Fahmy Resists Pandemic Gloominess With Vibrant Colors

Gamal Fahmy spent the entire period defined by the coronavirus pandemic contemplating its psychological impact on the world.

This contemplation was manifested in colorful abstract splashes of emotion on canvases, which are now on display at the White Frame Exhibition in Cairo’s Picasso Gallery.

The plethora of emotions brought about by the pandemic can be seen in the hundreds of details that make up Fahmy’s paintings.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat about his work and whether it was affected by the virus, Fahmy says: “I wasn't influenced by the pandemic, but rather, I painted with a desire to overcome its circumstances."

He noted that he chose white frames as a common base for his various paintings that held vibrant and bold colors that reflect a sense of resistance to the depression imposed on humanity by the pandemic.

Fahmy explains that life is full of hardship and disasters, but "we could live through them and experience the contradiction between beauty and ugliness, tyranny and justice, forced on us".

His works feature a number of contradictions in life, such as good and evil, ugliness and beauty, joy and sadness, and hope and despair.

Forty-three paintings are on display at Gamal Fahmy’s new exhibition, which runs until January 16.

Visitors will find that his work captures the significance and meaning of his discussion about the power of life’s contradictions while also giving it an optimistic edge with its interplay between colors.



Tiny Caribbean Territory Offers Cash, Plane Tickets and a Hotel Stay to Fight Brain Drain

An airplane approaches the island of St. Maarten. (AFP file)
An airplane approaches the island of St. Maarten. (AFP file)
TT
20

Tiny Caribbean Territory Offers Cash, Plane Tickets and a Hotel Stay to Fight Brain Drain

An airplane approaches the island of St. Maarten. (AFP file)
An airplane approaches the island of St. Maarten. (AFP file)

The Dutch Caribbean territory of St. Maarten is offering cash, plane tickets and an extended hotel stay to attract professionals and students back home.

Prime Minister Luc Mercelina announced this week that married couples would get $2,000 and single people $1,100 for a relocation allowance, as well as economy-class plane tickets, a six-week stay at a hotel and large containers to transport their belongings.

Families also would get $140 per child, he said Wednesday evening.

Mercelina also said the government would offer a salary adjustment allowance in certain cases and help cover a portion of student loans for those who move back to the territory.

The offers aim to reduce a shortage of skilled professionals on St. Maarten, a territory of some 46,000 people with a net migration rate of 5.7 migrants per 1,000 persons, ranking 16th worldwide.