Through graceful shapes, protrusions, and minimal texture, The Joy (2016) reveals Kamel’s penchant for simplicity. The present work exploits the open and extended surfaces of bronze, creating a mesmerising elongated vertical structure. He elegantly endeavours to extract the basic nature of Ancient Egyptian works, detailing only the features of a soft face at the top of the sculpture.

Hassan Kamel (Egyptian, b. 1967) creates sculptures which embody the core aesthetic value of Ancient Egyptian statues. Rather than imitating ancient art, Kamel reproduces his own visual idioms and complex compositions. The artist says: “People think [Ancient Egypt] is a dead civilisation, that we’re already separate from our ancestors. I believe we remain connected with them. After years of sketching, studying and fieldwork on ancient sites, I could see how closely connected to life and nature art is.”

Kamel graduated from Helwan University in 1991, where he would later become a professor. He has participated in the Egyptian Youth Salon (1991, 2001), the National Exhibition (2001, 2005), among others, where he received several awards. He also received the First Prize for designing a work for the plaza in Sharm El-Sheikh. His work has been featured in international exhibitions and symposiums in Lebanon (2006), Italy (2007), Czech Republic (2007), Turkey (2008), and Jordan (2008).