Nadine Mustafa In the Presence of 7 Arab and European Countries, Riham El-Adl Starts Her Journey Through Life With 30 Paintings in Her First Solo Exhibition in the Netherlands
Abstract painter Riham El-Adl inaugurated her first solo exhibition, titled “The Journey”, in the Netherlands, in the presence of over 200 figures; diplomats, art pioneers, entrepreneurs, artwork collectors, public personalities, exhibition curators, and art lovers, from 7 Arab and European countries: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Spain, Germany, Romania, and America. The inauguration marked a celebration of the first Egyptian and Arab visual artist to hold an exhibition at the historic PARC Broekhuizen Palace in Leersum, the Netherlands, as part of the cultural program “Art at the PARC”.
The figures who attended the inauguration of the exhibition include: Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Hatem Abdelkader, founder of an international fashion house and Cultural Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Princess Noura bint Faisal bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud, world-renowned visual artist Britt Boutros Ghali, who is one of the most prominent Norwegian artists and an iconic abstract artist, artist Ramzi El-Adl, Emy Mowafy, and Deputy Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Yazid Al-Dahlan.
As for the successful opening, El-Adl stated, “I’m so pleased with the feelings that overwhelmed me and moral support from family and friends who came from Cairo, Saudi Arabia, Barcelona, Berlin, Bucharest, San Diego, Washington, New York, Dubai, and Spain, to attend the inauguration of my first solo exhibition beyond Egypt. It was held under the title “Journey” at the historic Parc Broekhuizen Palace. As a visual artist, it is a great honor for me to start my solo journey from that place. From the first moment of passing through the gates of this historic Palace, one feels a sense of awe and beauty all around because of the creative architecture, dating back to the fifteenth century”.
During her speech, El-Adl thanked the attendees and shared with them the story of “The Journey” exhibition. She pointed out that she presents her personal life journey through the exhibition which totally changed 5 years ago when she decided to quit her job in the communications field which lasted for over 18 years. As an abstract painter, she held a number of solo exhibitions in Egypt.
El-Adl also won the first prize in the International Biennale of Contemporary Arts “V Biennale Della Versilia”; an eminent international art exhibition held in Florence, Italy, every two years. It was the first time for El-Adl to take part in a competition beyond Egypt. Two of her paintings; “Sun Shining Day” and “Promised Land” are displayed at an art exhibition in Florence for a whole year. “The Journey” exhibition, which will continue until May 25th, includes 30 paintings that took El-Adl a year and a half, between Cairo and Amsterdam, to finish. It’s Riham’s first solo exhibition outside Egypt. She presented two solo exhibitions in Egypt: “Fiesta” in October, 2020, and “Moving Forward” in January, 2022.
