“This is the result of 22 years of hard work” exclaims Moataz Nasr, founder of Darb1718, a new space for contemporary Arts where the exhibition of Salah Boutros entitled “The Self… the Land” took place from the 1st till the 30th of May. It demands a “Vision” to see beyond the work, to put all the pieces together and to create a consistent exhibition, which reflects the curating problem in Egypt according to Moataz, artist and curator. Showing these thirty something pieces of sculpture is not tempting for the other galleries and Arts spaces owners in Cairo, “they are only interested in the modern art works , installations, video arts; no one cares anymore about this traditional form of Art: Sculpture”, he explains.
With pieces entitled “Facing Death”, “Jacob’s Stairs”, “The Death of Jesus” and “Adam and Eve” , Salah Botros, explores his mysticism and sophism : “I’m a Coptic Egyptian: this is a different combination, I have a whole legacy of Christian and ancient Egyptian mysticism to express” explains Salah. This 45 years old, low-profile sculptor, held only two exhibitions over his 22 years of practicing Arts. “Exhibiting was never a target for me, through these years I was hardly satisfied about my work, and I demolished many art works until I discovered the target and the value behind it”.