Dr. Sherif Fakhry Mohamed Abd-el-Naby, President of the Egyptian Russian University (ERU), announced that the University’s Faculty of Fine Arts organized the closing ceremony of the competition of “Nawar Prize for Painting” in its sixth session for the year (2024). In the competition, (8) students from different departments of the faculty won. He added that the concluding activities of the competition were titled: “Art at zero distance from the nation’s issues.” This emphasizes the importance and effectiveness of the role of arts, which represent the pulse of societies and the mind and body of nations … Dr. Sherif highlighted that the competition was held with the support of Dr. Mohamed Kamal Al-Sayed Mustafa, Chairman of the University’s Board of Trustees, and in the presence of Dr. Abd-el-Salam Eid, the pioneer of the contemporary art of mural photography, Dr. Walid Qanoosh, Head of the Fine Arts Sector, and the Artist / Tarek Al-Koumy, Head of the Fine Arts Syndicate. This emphasizes the importance of the role and effectiveness of art with regard to the national affairs.

     The ERU President expressed the happiness of the university management to host “Nawar Prize for Painting” in its sixth edition. This is due to the fact that the ERU is the first private university to host this important academic and artistic student activity, to combine with the other activities of the university, to enhance a spirit of competition and ambition among students, and to pave the way for further integration between science and arts. The university’s goals, hence, are to place the university in a distinguished position in the field of art and design, to prepare a distinguished graduate that is capable of competing in the various disciplines of art, and to create more serious opportunities for academic study and expressive practices of the visual arts in addition to the resulting intellectual, literary and humanitarian masterpieces.

     In the same vein, the international artist / Dr. Ahmed Nawar, the founder of the award and former Head of the Fine Arts Sector, paid tribute to the ERU Management, which supported the establishment of the competition within its campus and overcame all difficulties. He also praised the faculty members and the supporting staff at the Faculty of Fine Arts, who contributed to achieving the goals of the sixth session of the award, which is considered stronger than the previous sessions due to the great interest of the organizers and their sincere efforts .. He clarified that the students realized the importance of the award; and the greatest evidence is that all of the (70) artistic works which were displayed in the competition exhibition, without any exception, conveyed good ideas and messages. This indicates that the faculty students will occupy great positions among the artists in the future. This is due to discipline, good organization and great precision of the faculty management.

     In his speech, the Artist / Dr. Walid Qanoosh, Head of the Fine Arts Sector, conveyed the greetings of the Minister of Culture, the Artist / Dr. Ahmed Fouad Hano … expressing his apology for not attending this important event due to his presence abroad … He paid tribute to the creativity of the participating students which he saw in the exhibition, wishing them further progress, prosperity and success. He also expressed his gratitude to the university for inviting him and attending the concluding ceremony of “Nawar Prize for Painting” in its sixth session … In addition, he highlighted the importance of the competition in developing the students’ artistic capacities in the context of academic study, supporting a spirit of competition among them, and opening them up early to the contemporary artistic movement.

     In the same context, the Artist / Tarek Al-Kumy lauded the students’ creativity and the level of education at the faculty, including its strong infrastructure and unique equipment at the level of different specializations, as well as the faculty’s interest in the visual arts in its academic and contemporary dimensions and the ability of the teaching methodology to attract students to study the arts of sculpture, photography, artistic print, photographic arts, in addition to other arts … He congratulated the students on their distinguished participation, and welcomed them as active members of the Egyptian art movement scene and then members of the Syndicate of Fine Artists after their graduation.

     On his part, Dr. Mohamed Oraby, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the ERU, stated that the concluding activities of the competition showed the creativity of our students, who are the future artists. Their creative works have expressed the epic of creativity and resistance, which represents a central topic that always ignites the imagination of artists. He explained that the faculty’s hosting of the sixth edition of “Nawar Prize for Painting” aims at supporting the students’ spirit of competition and developing their visual expression skills, together with focusing on the basic humanitarian issues. The award’s subject was chosen to enhance awareness of the importance of arts as a tool for social change, and to highlight the role of the artist as an actor in cultural development and a defender of high human values ​​and cultural gains such as the values ​​of truth, goodness and justice.

     The Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the ERU asserted that this experience that the students went through, namely the award activities – which lasted for almost a full year – showed that when art intersects with the issues of the nation, the power of creative expression becomes evident as a means of solidarity and an indication of collective awareness.  At the faculty halls, young energies met with deep vision, and as a result we saw how artistic works are formed which reflect the pain and hopes of peoples who suffer from occupation and aggression. The “Nawar Prize for Painting” in its sixth session came to be a beacon for this expression. Its focus is “Art and Resistance,” reflecting the spirit of struggle and sacrifice in Gaza and Lebanon, whereas the participating students wove visual poems that tell stories of determination and resistance. This new generation of creative artists carries a clear message: “Art is not to be confined to expressing superficial or decorative beauty, rather it is also a tool for change and solidarity with our peoples in wounded homelands. In this space, we live out moments of creativity and commitment. We are witnessing the birth of a new awareness that is embodied through colors and shapes, to be a loud cry in the face of injustice.”

     In the same vein, Dr. Heba Al-Hawwary, Chairman of the Award’s Jury, said that “Nawar Award for Painting” comes in its sixth session this year to reaffirm the importance of the art of painting as a foundation in forming the creative personality of any artist. It also serves as an important expressive medium in all manifestations of the plastic arts, such as photography, sculpture, graphics, and the art of installation in space. She clarified that art is a continuous process of progressive creation of freedom, resistance, and is an expression of truth, goodness, and beauty against the ugliness of the world. Art is the language of honest communication between the artist and society, and it is the bold expression against falsehood and shameful collusion.

     In a related context, Dr. Sherif Shoukry, Lecturer of “artistic print” at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the ERU and the General Curator of the Award, explained that the winning students at the conclusion of “Nawar Award for Painting Competition” in its sixth session for the year (2024) at the faculty are the following:

– First prize: “LE. 10,000 + Certificate of Appreciation + “Golden Pen” – the student / Mohamed Mahmoud Ahmed, from the second level at the “Visual Arts” Department

– Second Prize: LE. 7,000 + Certificate of Appreciation + “Golden Pen” – the student / Kerollos Ragai Nabil, from the third level at the “Visual Arts” Department

– Third Prize: LE. 5,000 + Certificate of Appreciation + “Golden Pen” – the student Amy Ehab Emam, from the third level at the “Visual Arts” Department

Plus five encouraging prizes, the value of each is LE. 2,000 + Certificate of Appreciation + Golden Pen:

1- Student / Omnia Adel Saad-el-Deen, from the second level at the “Visual Arts” Department

2- Student / Mahmoud Bedair Al-Sayed, from the third level at the “Visual Arts” Department

3- Student / Maryam Mohamed Abd-el-Ghafour, from the third level at the “Environmental Design” Department

4- Student / Maryam Wael Sayed, from the third level at the “Environmental Design” Department

5- Student / Nader Amin Emad, from the second level at the “Environmental Design” Department

     The concluding ceremony was attended by: Engineer / Hassan Wasfy, Head of the Fine Arts Syndicate in Alexandria, Dr. Nevin Ghareeb, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts in Alexandria, Dr. Ehab Fattouh, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy at the ERU, Dr. Khaled Tawfiq, Dean of the Faculty of Oral and Dental Medicine at the ERU, Dr. Mohamed Thabet Badary, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Dr. Hanaa Abd-el-Rahman, Advisor to the ERU President for Student Activities, Dr. Soha Samir, Director of the University’s Counseling and Psychological Support Unit, Artist / Sanaa Abu-Si’dah, wife of the late Artist / Dr. Bakry Mohamed Bakry, Artist / Dr. Abd-el-Aziz El-Gindy, Dr. Shaymaa Baghdady, Director of the Quality Unit at the Faculty; and from the Permanent Higher Committee for the Award: Artist / Dr. Amal Nasr, Dr. Khaled Al-Baghdady, Journalist and Fine Arts Critic, Artist / Mohamed Kamal, Fine Arts Critic, Artist / Dr. Mustafa Essa, Researcher in the field of “aesthetics of visual arts”, Artist / Mai Ahmed Nawar, Graphic Designer and Secretary General of the Award.

     It is noteworthy that the Supreme Executive Committee consisted of the following members: Artist / Dr. Mohamed Thabet Badary, Vice Dean of the Faculty, Artist / Sherif Shukry, Award General Curator, Artist / Nadeem Oraby, Award Assistant Curator. As for the Exhibition and Ceremony Preparation Committee, it was formed up from Dr. Shaymaa Baghdady, Artist / Youmna El-Sharif. The activities were documented by the Media Production Unit at the Creative Interaction Center at the Faculty of Fine Arts.

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