‘From This Land’ Exhibit Weaves the Story of Egypt's Tentmaking Craft
Hosted at Downtown Cairo’s Markaz, art historian Seif El Rashidi spotlights the traditional Egyptian craft of Khayameya.
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As one narrow alleyway in Old Cairo continues to weave and keep Egypt’s ancient textile traditions alive, the story of the vivid fabrics that define the tentmaking craft of Khayameya are given their chance to shine at ‘From This Land’, an exhibition currently being held in Downtown Cairo’s Markaz. Designed and curated by art historian and designer Seif El Rashidi in collaboration with Markaz, an arts and crafts label, the exhibition views the traditional craft through a contemporary lens.
El Rashidi fell in love with Khayameya during his work in El Darb El Ahmar, where he admired the work of traditional tentmakers on Khayameya Street between 1998 and 2008. He went on to co-author ‘The Tentmakers of Cairo’, before curating and designing multiple Khayameya exhibitions.
“There are certain designs that can’t be done in Khayamea, and you learn that from the craftsmen who actually have to produce them,” El Rashidi tells CairoScene. “For ‘From This Land’, we worked together to find suitable materials and colours, but generally I believe they were up for the challenge. No craftsman is interested in producing mass amounts of the same design.”
Drawing inspiration from Egyptian proverbs and animals that are emblematic of daily life in Egypt, the exhibition features a collection of vibrant Khayameya hangings, each signifying a different theme, such as a landscape brimming with cows, or the famous saying ‘Al Erd Fi Ein Omo Ghazal’. ‘From This Land’ creates room between the craft and how wild animals live within the Egyptian psyche.
Drawing from the artist’s observation of the gradual decline of Khayameya as an industry, and the subsequent transformation influenced by growing fascination with Western crafts, El Rashidi works to continuously highlight its versatility and slow production process.
The exhibition will be on display at Downtown Cairo’s Markaz until June 16th.
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