Egyptian artist Ahmad Kassem has used the beehive as a metaphor for everyday life in his first solo exhibition in Dubai, “The Hive”, curated by Ehab Al Labban. Kassem’s imaginative and detailed paintings present a parallel universe that reflects our own world, commenting on the existential, social, political and spiritual facets of life.
The series is based on an imaginary city, located somewhere in space and inhabited by bees, which work hard to make tanks full of honey. In a strong parallel to life in Cairo, the bees can be seen riding on the metro, watching a film in a theatre, at a trial in a military court, in prison, and watching a popular Egyptian satirical show in their honey-comb shaped homes. The presence of some friendly bears in the city alludes to the friendly ties with foreign powers.
But soon this idyllic world is attacked by various enemies seeking honey. These include bee-keepers, astronauts, honey badgers, bee-eater birds and even the bears, who had earlier pretended to be friends. In some of the paintings, the attackers are marked by flags of various Western powers and the UN in an overt political statement about the present situation in Egypt and the human greed for power and natural resources.
Beneath the political overtones, there are other, deeper messages in these layered works. “We do not live alone in this world. There are so many other living beings here that we never think about. All we care about is using the resources they generate, with no thought about the consequences of our actions on their lives or to our planet. Through my paintings I want to convey how important it is to think about how other creatures created by God live, and to learn from them. We must constantly reflect on the meaning and mission of our life, the way we live our life, and how that affects others,” Kassem says.
Moving from a macrocosmic view to a microcosmic one, the artist has used the motifs of bees, honey and flowers to create abstract works expressing the daily rhythm of life, the fragility of life, the search for meaning and direction in life, and hope for a better future. And finally, the artist looks inwards with a series of meditative abstract works inspired by Sufi philosophy that reflect the search for inner balance and harmony with the Universe and its creator. “My work is not about Egypt and Egyptians. It is about every person finding meaning and a mission in their lives, being aware of their surroundings and living in harmony with them,” Kassem says.
“The Hive” will run at Gallery Ward until March 7. “Pappa” will run at Gulf Photo Plus until February 22.
Jyoti Kalsi is an arts enthusiast based in Dubai.