HADY BORAEY | EDEN DANCE

Hady Boraey is an independent visual artist as well as a lecturer for the Fine Arts department at Alexandria University. Boraey has amassed a world of artistic knowledge in the past 20 years as he experimented with painting, drawing and sculpture. Despite his affinity for experimentation, Boraey consistently seeks to take his viewers on a journey, opening the mind to new perspectives and blurring the lines between physical and psychological.

His latest exhibition, Eden Dance is born from the pandemic and a desire to reconnect with nature. In classic Boraey fashion, the collection depicts a rich and textured fantasy world. Stoic figures feature center-stage in almost every artwork. Sharp-edged facial features are made sharper by their geometric figures — a stark contrast to the muted backdrops that lay behind them. Cacti, leaves, and budding plants, not surprisingly, are present in many of the pieces as well, denoting the obvious desire to rejoin not only nature, but the outdoor world beyond the confines and isolation of lockdown.

The sun, stars, and birds make an appearance in a few of the paintings, breathing life into the collection and suggesting the figures are, in fact, outside. In some pieces, the figures look up longingly to the starry or sunny sky, in others, they dance in an almost spiritual appreciation of the great outdoors. And in yet others, they simply appear at peace.

Courtesy of Fann Á Porter

Image caption: Hady Boraey, The Bliss Dance, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 100 x 100 cm