In his newest solo exhibition, Kamal El-Fiqqi opens new wide doors to reflect upon the quiddity of one’s humanity and the inner desire that prompts one to action. In El-Fiqqi’s bronze sculptures, the chest moves beyond being a material object and transcends into being a profound metaphor sheltering purpose and its accompanying tension that wrestles between desire and rationality, need and purpose, and individuality and collectivity. The chest in Kamal’s tenet symbolises the desire that serves as infrastructure upon which the entire human experience is based, and the purpose that determines one’s path amidst the complexities of life. Kamal’s bronze bodies propose an invitation for pondering; they stand at the threshold that balances clarity and brevity, embodying a humane moment ripe with meaning. His works show how the features are nearly disappearing only to reveal an abstract human form that’s coherent in mass to remind the audience that a human isn’t a mere sum of features and details, but rather a dynamic that constantly marches towards its purpose.
It’s a dynamic embodied in human form that stretches its arms to withhold the chest of its needs, lifting it higher and higher to signal its grasp of purpose. Each of Kamal El-Fiqqi’s sculptures represents the body in a quiet discourse with the chest; the body embraces the chest at times, quarrels with it at others or struggles with its weight. Eventually, all turn into a dynamic that reflects the turmoil within.
The exhibition reflects Kamal’s inspiration by Schopenhauer; the philosopher who molded will to become the kernel of existence. And such volition would never rest with its constant pursuit of need; and such is the right subject matter which Kamal represents in a material form. Using bronze as a material for the represented sculptures serves as a witness of an internal struggle. It acts as a solid material that bears the weight of time and its transformations, akin to the individual who holds his desires and pursuits along a tiresome path. This is a metaphor that intertwines the philosophical and the visual aspects of the exhibition and gives way for the sculptures to become a space of discourse between the sensibilities of the artist and the sculpted mass. Through the exhibited works, Kamal redefines the relationship between the individual and his purpose. Most of the philosophical movements, like Plato’s and Neosocialism, consider goals as part of the whole which allows artists to place individuals into a direct opposition with their own desires. At this point, it might be safe to assume that it is aimed to compare individuality and collectivity, yet it is essential to denote that it is aimed to unleash how the essence of an individual lies at the heart of knowing their purpose, whether it is part of a collective dream or simply a personal desire. The moment the individual holds the chest acts a double-faceted action that shows the belonging to and the breaking free from a world where the highest self declares itself as an entity that contains its own purpose. By choosing bronze for sculpting this exhibition’s works, Kamal has chosen a visual language that’s capable of conveying such a profound concept. In its shininess that blends subtle rustiness and blotches of greenery, bronze merges moving forward and eternity, all together. It’s safe to mention that bronze plays a dual role of reminding us of ancient civilisations that modeled the metal to eternalise its existence and a token showcasing a contemporary struggle. The bodices partaking in this exhibition, while simple and minimalist in its outer appearance, carry a spark of tension internally, almost exploding at the weight of what they’ve been bearing. In the contradiction shown between the solidity of the used material and the fragility of the represented humane meaning, we could witness the coexisting of the works’ aesthetic and conceptual facades.

About the Artist

Kamal doesn’t aim to propose complex linguistic explanations, and it’s needless of him as his works’ artistry has stepped in instead, with the bronze of the works being more eloquent than words would do. While witnessing the sculptures, the audience could sense as if they stand before a mirror that reflects their inner pursuits of goals and desires, through which they may try to grasp or feel their heavy weight. Throughout this, Kamal doesn’t simply describe a human but rather invites them to be face to face with themselves. While the sculptures showcased in this exhibition don’t belong to a specific artistic movement, Kamal has allowed the audience to interact with a new wave of speculation. The works stand in the middle ground; they don’t aim to glorify the body or capture movement as in Classical sculptures, or run after the oversimplification of the late neo modernist movements. They aim to represent how a body could be transformed into a beacon of an idea and how form could be turned into a token of existence. This conception lies at the heart of how Kamal El-Fiqqi is representing contemporary sculpture that searches for meaning through the material and ideation through the visual.
This exhibition serves as an experience that gives room for meditation rather than reaction; to dive into an internal discourse with the sculpture instead of merely viewing it. Following likely meditation, the audience will realise the meaning stretches far beyond witnessing bodices that embrace chests. Kamal invites his viewers to ponder over a simple yet profound question: What makes the essence of a human? Is it the goal of which they’re in pursuit? Or is it the way he adopts to know more of life’s truth? In his exhibition, El Fiqqi marks his works as road signs; each sculpture engulfs its own chest of open-ended questions, engaging the viewer to co-hold the chest as well. With a test of desire and facing a recurring question: What does it mean to be a person with a purpose?