AAU Hosts The Sloggers Exhibition
- Posted on:Feb 08, 2012
The Community Service Committee at the AAU College of Education organized a fine art exhibition, at AAU Al Ain Campus, entitled “The Sloggers” which included a collection of metal sculptures by Dr. Mahmoud Nakhili Abdulrazek with the aim to encourage creativity and promoting various forms of art. Professor Ghaleb El Refae, AAU President, accompanied by Dr. Nader El-Sanhury, Dean of the College of Education, opened the exhibition. AAU faculty members and students also attended the opening. The sculptures depicted “The Sloggers”, which refers to manual workers who relentlessly build society’s infrastructure accepting little, or nothing, in return for their constructive work.
Prof. El Refae, AAU President, mentioned that: “Fine art is an important aesthetic element that contributes to expanding horizons of creativity and innovation to express the individual’s culture as well as the society’s ideas. AAU’s interest in organizing fine art exhibitions springs from our realization of the importance of the aesthetic culture. Hence, AAU is glad to host artists whose work is a representation of various cultures and backgrounds thus calling for reflection on the messages lying behind those works of art. Hosting the artist Dr. Mahmoud Nakhili Abdulrazek is an invitation for students to look at the message conveyed through his sculptures, which reflect an integral class of society; the working-class. We also want the students to realize that art in itself is a language and a means of expression through which major social issues may be communicated.”
On his part, the artist, Dr. Mahmoud Nakhili Abdulrazek, said, “at the exhibition at AAU, I presented metal sculptures representing “The Sloggers”: the manual workers that exist in all cultures of the world. Through using iron and wires for the sculptures, I seek to demonstrate for the students that we can derive the materials to use in art from the message we wish to convey. The sculptures were skeletons of people to reflect their depth through their movement. As much as I minimized the facial and body details, I gave the sculptures an individuality and strength of personality. The sculptures embody movement and rhythm in a way that influences the recipient’s perception of the sculptures – making each one unique in its own way.”
Nakhili added, “I would like to extend my appreciation to AAU for the attention they give art as well as their interest in introducing students to the content and messages of art. The University is keen on broadening the students’ horizons by pushing students towards advanced science that goes side by side with fine art.”
