Update A Caravan of Donkeys For Peace and Compassion

Sponsored by the Embassy of Switzerland, and supported by the British Council, the CARAVAN interfaith art exhibition sees the work of Western and Egyptian artists, both Muslim and Christian, who were each asked to decorate a life-size fibreglass donkey that was sculpted by the noted Egyptian artist Reda Abdel Rahman. The donkeys were first exhibited at the Anglican Church of St John the Baptist in Cairo, a centre for interfaith dialogue for over 80 years. They were then placed in strategic public locations throughout Cairo, where they achieved huge amounts of interest. They will now come to St Paul’s before being auctioned by Sotheby’s, with all profits going to charities in Egypt that serve the poorest of the poor, regardless of their creed. The CARAVAN exhibition follows in the footsteps of a number of public art displays that have featured painted animals, yet with an added depth in its symbolism, intention and message. The donkey symbolises peace in both Christianity and Islam, and is found in both the Bible and in the Qur’an. Examples are numerous, such as both Jesus and Omar Ibn El Khattab, the second caliph, each riding donkeys when they entered Jerusalem. The donkey also represents the poor, as it is an animal of burden, and this is especially the case in Egypt.

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Copyright © artdaily.org

Sponsored by the Embassy of Switzerland, and supported by the British Council, the CARAVAN interfaith art exhibition sees the work of Western and Egyptian artists, both Muslim and Christian, who were each asked to decorate a life-size fibreglass donkey that was sculpted by the noted Egyptian artist Reda Abdel Rahman. The donkeys were first exhibited at the Anglican Church of St John the Baptist in Cairo, a centre for interfaith dialogue for over 80 years. They were then placed in strategic public locations throughout Cairo, where they achieved huge amounts of interest. They will now come to St Paul’s before being auctioned by Sotheby’s, with all profits going to charities in Egypt that serve the poorest of the poor, regardless of their creed. The CARAVAN exhibition follows in the footsteps of a number of public art displays that have featured painted animals, yet with an added depth in its symbolism, intention and message. The donkey symbolises peace in both Christianity and Islam, and is found in both the Bible and in the Qur’an. Examples are numerous, such as both Jesus and Omar Ibn El Khattab, the second caliph, each riding donkeys when they entered Jerusalem. The donkey also represents the poor, as it is an animal of burden, and this is especially the case in Egypt. The Reverend Paul-Gordon Chandler, Rector of Cairo’s Episcopal Church of St John the Baptist from 2003-2013 and Founder of CARAVAN, said: “Believing that the arts can be one of the most effective mediums of building bridges of understanding, respect and friendship between East and West, their creed and cultures, the exhibition seeks to communicate the important message of tolerance between Christians and Muslims, living together in peace and with compassion, a message that comes ‘out of Egypt’ for the world. The Reverend Canon Mark Oakley, Chancellor of St Paul’s, said: “There are over 40 million donkeys on this earth and 96% of them live alongside the poorest people of the world. They are known and loved for their hard work, resilience, loyalty and stubbornness. They have been used for the best and worst of human intentions: from carrying the war wounded to medical help at Gallipoli, to bearing explosives to kill in today’s war zones. Jesus chose a donkey to symbolise the divine humility. Similarly in the Islamic tradition, the Prophet was carried by Ya`fūr. This exhibition, by both Muslim and Christian artists from Egypt, calls us to remember the peoples of that country today and what can be achieved together rather than apart. It also, at a time when both Muslims and Christians suffer persecution for their faith in many places, reminds us that just as the donkeys journey together in the Cathedral towards the Holy, so humans only become spiritually alive when they travel together in peace and with compassion.” The Honorable Dominik Furgler, Ambassador of Switzerland to the United Kingdom (and formerly Swiss Ambassador to Egypt), said: “I am particularly delighted to be directly associated to this wonderful initiative. In a world and time where sectarian tension, prejudice or ignorance seem to prosper, we must do whatever we can to further dialogue and the mutual knowledge about our religious traditions and convictions. This exhibition is doing just that, with the arts uniting us as a language of love and peace.” Mark Stephens, British Council Country Director, Egypt, said: “We are delighted that the CARAVAN Festival of the Arts has forged this link with St Paul’s Cathedral to bring these beautiful decorated donkeys to a London audience. One of the British Council’s goals is to connect people through the arts, which is why we have supported the festival, which aims to use the arts to bridge cultures. We hope these artworks will generate as much interest in London as they did in Cairo.”

More Information: http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=64700#.UiHNcT_pySo[/url]
Copyright © artdaily.orgAn interfaith art exhibition promoting peace and compassion is coming to St Paul's Cathedral from Cairo in Egypt.

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The CARAVAN exhibition at St Paul's Cathedral, London features 25 life-size painted donkeys and will be on display from August 30 to September 23.

Given the present circumstances in the Middle East this is a poignant exhibition.

• Click here to see a video from the UK exhibition.

 A donkey makes one ask “Am I slave or free,” says artist Karim Abd El Malak, who transformed this one below into a wind-up clock. 

Image source

The donkey sculptures were first exhibited at the Anglican Church of St John the Baptist in Cairo, a centre for interfaith dialogue, before being placed around Cairo.  

They are made of fibreglass and were sculpted by Egyptian artist Reda Abdel Rahman.  The donkey symbolises peace in both Christianity and Islam, and in Egypt they represent the poor.  

This is a great video below, explaining how the CARAVAN arts initiative came out of a vision that the Arts can be one of the most effective mediums to enhance understanding and encourage friendship between Muslims and Christians, for as the late Nobel Prize Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz wrote, "Art is language of the entire human personality."

The objective of CARAVAN is to use the Arts as a bridge for intercultural and inter-religious inter-change, toward enhancing understanding, respect, and deepening friendship, between the cultures and creeds of the East and West.Central to the CARAVAN movement is the annual CARAVAN Festival of the Arts with the objective of building bridges between East and West, and between Muslims and Christians, through visual art, as well as literature, film and music.

The Reverend Canon Mark Oakley, Chancellor of St Paul's, said: "There are over 40 million donkeys on this earth and 96% of them live alongside the poorest people of the world. They are known and loved for their hard work, resilience, loyalty and stubbornness.

"They have been used for the best and worst of human intentions: from carrying the war wounded to medical help at Gallipoli, to bearing explosives to kill in today's war zones. Jesus chose a donkey to symbolise the divine humility. Similarly in the Islamic tradition, the Prophet was carried by Ya`fūr.

Image source

"This exhibition, by both Muslim and Christian artists from Egypt, calls us to remember the peoples of that country today and what can be achieved together rather than apart. 

It also, at a time when both Muslims and Christians suffer persecution for their faith in many places, reminds us that just as the donkeys journey together in the Cathedral towards the Holy, so humans only become spiritually alive when they travel together in peace and with compassion."

"Christian iconography often depicts a donkey carrying Mary and the child Jesus on the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt. “Being wise and gentle he bears with people throughout the road, wearing them like a second skin,” says artist Rania Fouad. 

Her interpretation above references the handles on buses and metro cars, which Egyptian men and women ride to work. Like a donkey that uncomplainingly carries people “no matter which country, which religion and which race they belong to,” the artist says, Egypt's leaders and citizens should practice respect and tolerance. The brain imagery suggests you should not judge someone’s mind by their lowly occupation."

The donkey sculptures were decorated by Muslim and Christian artists, and are going on display at St Paul's before being auctioned by Sotheby's.  
Profits from the sale of the donkeys will go to charities serving some of the poorest people in Egypt.  

The Reverend Paul-Gordon Chandler, Rector of Cairo's Episcopal Church of St John the Baptist from 2003-2013 and founder of CARAVAN, said: "Believing that the arts can be one of the most effective mediums of building bridges of understanding, respect and friendship between East and West, their creed and cultures, the exhibition seeks to communicate the important message of tolerance between Christians and Muslims, living together in peace and with compassion, a message that comes 'out of Egypt' for the world."

Image source

The Honorable Dominik Furgler, Ambassador of Switzerland to the United Kingdom (and formerly Swiss Ambassador to Egypt), said: "I am particularly delighted to be directly associated to this wonderful initiative. In a world and time where sectarian tension, prejudice or ignorance seem to prosper, we must do whatever we can to further dialogue and the mutual knowledge about our religious traditions and convictions. This exhibition is doing just that, with the arts uniting us as a language of love and peace."

The exhibition is being sponsored by the Embassy of Switzerland, and supported by the British Council.  

Mark Stephens, British Council Country Director, Egypt, said: "We are delighted that the CARAVAN Festival of the Arts has forged this link with St Paul's Cathedral to bring these beautiful decorated donkeys to a London audience. 


One of the British Council's goals is to connect people through the arts, which is why we have supported the festival, which aims to use the arts to bridge cultures. We hope these artworks will generate as much interest in London as they did in Cairo."

Source

"Some of the most prolific Egyptian and Western artists have put their brushes to a donkey and the political significance of some of the works highlights just how quickly the situation in Egypt has changed. On the donkey (pictured above), one half represents the army and the other the Muslim Brotherhood, with ex-president Muhammed Morsi’s face painted on the front."

 Contemporary Egyptian art is often political. While interpreting the theme of peace and compassion artists did not shy away from addressing Egypt’s unsettled transition from dictatorship to democracy and the uneasy interplay of secularism and religion.

In Egypt one of the biggest insults you can fling is “Yah, Humar,” or “you donkey!” Egyptian artist Reda Abd El Rahman, who created the fibreglass donkey model, used his creation to attack those he holds responsible for the deaths of protestors during Egypt’s revolution. His “Renaissance Donkey” (pictured above) a none-too-subtle reference to the “Renaissance Project” of the Muslim Brotherhood’s presidential election campaign, depicts a creature wearing shiny black shoes on its hooves and with the head of a bearded man wearing wire rimmed glasses—he is muslim, indicted by the prayer callous on his forehead. (The callous takes the form of a brass shoe, another form of insult.) "I always feel that there is a connection between the donkey and the Egyptian citizen who is always crushed and poor,” the artist says. The face is not one person but representative “of an unhealthy troika: financial authority and the religious fascism and military mafia. I hold them responsible for all the Egyptians who died during the revolution.” Abd El Rahman's donkey also evokes a post-revolution version of the tale of the Emperor's new clothes, as the creature wears a businessman’s suit jacket, while the rear quarters wear camouflage pants and army boots."

 Click here for more images of these amazing donkeys and the background story to each one.

Click here for the Facebook Page for the Caravan  Festival Of The Arts with plenty more information.

• Art exhibition comes from Cairo to St Paul's (christiantoday.com)