{"id":5390,"date":"2017-11-01T19:56:02","date_gmt":"2017-11-01T17:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/?p=5390"},"modified":"2019-07-27T19:59:24","modified_gmt":"2019-07-27T17:59:24","slug":"mai-abdallah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/?p=5390","title":{"rendered":"Mai Abdallah"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Sensational Sculptor<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mai Abdullah, a young Egyptian \u2018Ostraka\u2019 award winner, has mastered the art of sculpting statues, following in the footsteps of classical artists. With numerous awards won before graduating from art school, she\u2019s already been certified as a professional and now has many of her projects showcased in locally prominent art galleries. The contemporary artist shares with us her experience in the field and talks about her personal thoughts and motives.<\/em><\/p>\n

When and how did you become interested in art?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

My interest in art flourished since childhood. It was more of a subconscious intuitive mission than a growing interest. I taught myself how to paint and draw, and that\u2019s when it had all begun.<\/p>\n

Who are the artists you get inspired by?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The list here is endless, since inspiration comes from several directions. However, I could think of some remarkable Egyptian artists that I personally look up to. For instance, there\u2019s Dr. Mohamed Galal, my professor who guided me throughout my graduation project. There\u2019s Adam Henein, one of the pioneers in abstract sculpture in Egypt, as well as the late Abdelhady El Weshahy and Gamal El Segeiny, who tutored generations of contemporary sculptors.<\/p>\n

Tell us about the awards you have received.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Locally, I won first prize in \u2018The Week of Egyptian Girls\u2019 competition and the second prize in the \u2018Innovation 5\u2019 contest. Other than that, Minya University has granted me a professional\u2019s certificate and put up one of my sculptures in the \u2018Modern Art Museum\u2019, which has a splendid collection of artworks by the greatest artists worldwide, and I\u2019m the youngest among them. This made me so happy and proud of myself! I received many other awards in several competitions. I participated in various galleries as well including the \u2018Suez Canal University Gallery\u2019, and \u2018Salon El-Shabab\u2019. My most notable award was Ostraka Symposium\u2019s prize for the best graduation project locally among all universities specialized in art. I will be participating in its upcoming round, which will be located in Sharm El Sheikh.<\/p>\n

Which artistic project are you most proud of?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I love and enjoy creating all of my projects, so that\u2019s kind of a difficult question. I engage with every sculpture I make; however, if I had to pick a favourite, it would be my graduation project because it demanded extra efforts and hard work that lasted over three months.\u00a0 It\u2019s also worth noting I\u2019m in love with the pieces \u2018Abdel Fatah Al Kasri\u2019 and \u2018Zizi\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Have you been facing any obstacles that hindered your way to success so far?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Thankfully, I\u2019ve been strong enough to face any obstacles and challenges that were thrown my way. I proved myself, and specialized in the field I\u2019m passionate about. However, the challenge I\u2019m facing currently is to balance between my studies and work.<\/p>\n

What makes sculpting fun?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The most beautiful thing about sculpting is that it\u2019s a way for me to directly engage with my work. I get the opportunity to reflect all my feelings and thoughts in the piece I\u2019m working on. With the feeling of mud on my hands, and with no one directing me, I can shape the most intricate details of my piece easily and simply.<\/p>\n

What essential characteristics do you think any sculptor should have?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

A sculptor should never stop learning. Being up-to-date with the most recent symposiums, exhibitions, and technologies is a must for us. Patience is always a key player as well. Sometimes it takes several months to finish up just one sculpture, and giving up is not an option. Moreover, having an eye for detail is what sets a skilled artist apart from everybody else; details could make or break a piece of art.<\/p>\n

What do you hope to achieve in five years\u2019 time?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Currently, I\u2019m focusing on the exhibition; it is a very important step for me. I hope I get the chance to showcase my work further in more exhibitions and not just locally, but perhaps make it to the rest of the Middle East as well as Europe. I also want to create my own eponymous brand alongside broadening my horizons by getting a PHD.<\/p>\n

Do you have any advice for young sculptures who look up for you?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t listen to the ones who frustrate you. Do whatever you love, no matter how many people hold you back. Don\u2019t surrender to negativity, and follow your passion even if it seems too simplistic. This goes especially to women: challenge all the circumstances no matter how difficult it is. Search for your hidden talent and develop it. No one lacks talent, but many aren\u2019t able to discover it. Exploring whatever God blessed you with is a sure way to success. Ignore any unconstructive criticism, but perhaps use negative words as motivation to push you further and prove your worthiness and flair to yourself.<\/p>\n

A word for our readers\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I would like to thank a lot of people who stood by my side, helped, and encouraged me. On top of the list are my parents, siblings, and fianc\u00e9, Hossam. He was especially my source of positivity; he always lent me a hand whenever I faced any dilemmas. I would also like to thank my professors for helping me polish my skill. In addition to these amazing support groups, I can\u2019t be thankful enough for Mr. Amr Koura, the man who recognised my talent and decided to nurture it. Without his support and his team of top-notch calibres at \u2018Creative Arab Talent\u2019, I wouldn\u2019t be giving this interview now.<\/p>\n

Last but not least, I would like to thank the people who tried to bring me down as they only fuelled my passion to advance forward.<\/p>\n

And of course, I\u2019d like to show sincere gratitude to the people who uplifted my soul with their positive comments on social media platforms without even knowing me personally. They really have made a difference in my life and perspective.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mai Abdullah, a young Egyptian \u2018Ostraka\u2019 award winner, has mastered the art of sculpting statues, following in the footsteps of classical artists. With numerous awards won before graduating from art school, she\u2019s already been certified as a professional and now has many of her projects showcased in locally prominent art galleries. The contemporary artist shares with us her experience in the field and talks about her personal thoughts and motives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5391,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":0,"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5390"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5390"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5390\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5393,"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5390\/revisions\/5393"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}