The works of multiple Egyptian artists are featured in the 'Mediterranean Peace Donkey Exhibition' at the Mdina Cathedral Contemporary Art Biennale in Malta which opened on Nov. 13 and continues till Jan. 7.
The unique exhibition consists of 21 life-sized fiberglass Maltese donkeys. They were sculpted by prominent Egyptian artist Dr. Reda Abdel Rahman and were painted by 21 notable Egyptian, Maltese and Western artists.
The Egyptian artists featured include Karim Abdel Malak, Ibrahim El Dessouky, Hend Adnan, Farid Fadel, Khaled Hafez, Mohamed Talaat and Miriam Hathout .
The nearly two-month exhibition is curated by CARAVAN, an international, inter-religious, peacebuilding arts non-profit organization that originated in Cairo in 2009 and aims to connect the Middle East and West through art that builds understanding and harmony between cultures.
Like all of CARAVAN's outstanding initiatives, there is much more to the donkey sculptures than just well-executed visual art.
The peace-building initiative strategically uses the Maltese donkey to symbolize the importance of building peace and compassion between the Middle East and West and specifically through the 21 countries of the Mediterranean region.
Through the historical and present significance of the Maltese donkey in the Mediterranean region and its culture, the exhibition is attempting to highlight several critical issues.
The Maltese donkey symbolizes the need for interfaith understanding and compassion as it has been historically used to represent peace and compassion in Islam, Christianity and Judaism. It also symbolizes the need for peaceful East-West relations as it has historically been used as a gift from the Mediterranean to Western figures.
In addition, the exhibition is using it to highlight the refugee crisis and the plight of the thousands of refugees that pass through the Mediterranean region using donkeys, as well as the issue of donkey welfare in the Middle East. Donkeys are often mistreated and overburdened with labor in the region.
That's why it is fitting that the ambitious exhibition is being held in the ancient town Mdina in Malta, which is "a symbolic and historic icon of East-West interaction, both culturally and religiously," according to CARAVAN's official website .
Also fitting is that it's being held at the 2015 Mdina Cathedral Contemporary Art Biennale, as its theme this year is 'Christianity, Spirituality and the Other', in which "the other" stands for faith and non-faith, belief and non-belief, theist and atheist, agnostic and polytheist.
"The idea that all art is spiritual remains the central concept. The exhibits will deal with the interrelationship between spirituality and religious belief, examining the role of the Other," according to the Biennale's official website .
In addition to the 21 donkeys displayed at the art festival, CARAVAN is also holding two concerts at Mdina's historic St Paul’s Cathedral, 'On A Caravan’ on Nov. 28 and ‘Notes of Faith’ on Dec. 4 will feature musicians who blend Middle Eastern and Western musical traditions.