Fatma Ghaly in The Mountain. Courtesy of Azza Fahmy
Held in various locations throughout Venice, the 57th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, which opened its doors to the public in May, is running until November. This year, the prestigious art exhibition features work from award-winning painter, sculptor, and cultural activist Moataz Mohamed Nasr Eldin. The Egyptian artist, who is most commonly referred to as Moataz Nasr, has been selected to represent Egypt and the Arab region.
The Pavilion of Egypt is the only showcase of an Arab country in the public gardens of Giardini, where the 2017 Venice Biennale is showing its latest edition of contemporary art. Transformed to look like an Egyptian village, Nasr is showing his debut film, The Mountain, on five large adjoining screens.
For the 12-minute film, the artist turned to luxury Egyptian jewelry designer Azza Fahmy to provide an original and unique wardrobe for the film and leading character to transport viewers to the North African country. Actors, which included Fatma Ghaly, the brand’s managing director (and Fahmy’s eldest daughter), and Egyptian Theresa Goubail, who plays the adult Zein, wear vintage jewelry and a collection of traditional dresses from the Cairo-based brand’s archives.
One of Egypt’s best known jewelry designers, Fahmy has gained international acclaim with her luxurious, handmade jewelry that is inspired by Middle Eastern history and culture. For its latest collection, 2017 Wonders of Nature, Azza Fahmy explores themes of flaura and fauna, which results in 18k gold owl earrings, bumblebee brooches, and snake bracelets. The offering is available online now.
The 2017 Venice Biennale runs until November 26 in Venice, Italy. For more information visit www.labiennale.org.
Islamic art inspired the abayas in this Fall 2017 collection
