على هامش المعرض .. ملامح ضوئية لخمسة فنانين .. مجلة فن التصوير اللبنانية _ ع٢٥

On the sidelines of the exhibition are highlights of five artists

Five light artists, headed by Professor Georges Achi, who taught them at his hands, and then encouraged them to go through the experience of fellowship with him in a joint exhibition that brought them together recently at the French Cultural Center, and here we show their personal cards.
And then their opinions about the exhibition and away from it.

Writing with light has a lot of persuasion, even if it is poetic writing. The saying here is a visual language spoken by people all over the world.
From this point of view, the lessons of the artist George Ashi began for his students at the Walid Ezzat Center for Applied Arts.
- Department of photography - take a deep turn
At the time when these students came to discover how to Roach. The image was the violent response that the human truth is always disguised in the artwork.

The students' preconceived notions began to go in the exact opposite direction.
In addition to caring for the human being, the teacher did not skimp on giving them the latest techniques in photography.
When the students graduated from the center, four of them offered their professor, who later became their colleague, to hold a joint exhibition.
Here, architect Subhi Kedimi, one of the five light artists who held their first exhibition at the French Cultural Center in Damascus, tells about this experience, saying:
- There was a real dread in the cohesion between a new graduate and an artist who had a long and harsh experience with photography. It was difficult for us to overcome the barrier of fear represented by displaying our pictures side by side with the pictures of our teacher. However, I no longer remember how our colleague today and our teacher yesterday managed to convince us that there is no justification. For this fear... and we did this experiment that increased our self-confidence and our art.

Photographer Akram Al-Ghatrif, who graduated from the Center for Applied Arts in As-Suwayda, had the following opinion - until my graduation period, I thought that the lack of clarity and focus in a dancer's foot on one of my photos was a clear technical defect.. until he understood me.
My fellow artist George Ashi said that movement is the fourth dimension in the picture, i.e. the factor of time.. From this saying, I began to frequent him and ask him, and he answered with all generosity and love... And now I am confident of myself and my pictures. I intend to show the fourth dimension when I mean it in the painting. Light artist Georges Achi comments:
- Trying to enter the depths of a person is the real obsession that the artist must live with, whether he is a photographer, a xenia, or a photographer with words. From here, I had to go with them towards this obsession. Sobhi Kedimi, Suleiman, and Adnan Al-Masry had the students in the class.
I gave them my attention outside the specified working hours, whether in my home or in their homes, and I believe that I did not skimp on them with any information about photography and its techniques.
And George Ali continues by saying - As for the exhibition, which he staged at the French Cultural Center together this year, it was distinguished by the one spirit, whether in terms of presentation or in terms of form until directing, trusting a temporal and spatial interval that separates us all, at a time when one of us was eliminating the background of the person depicted. The other was sticking to showing this background, and each of them had his own justifications in saying and doing.
And about the artistic gathering of the five lights, Suleiman Al-Masry said:
- There were certain connections that drew us to the environment, which is that we are all from the people and belong to this country. It is the right of the country that we have to offer it its true citizen, the simple citizen who builds this country with violence in which he fights on its borders for his freedom and existence.
As for Adnan Al-Masry, he had the following opinion: Before we set up the exhibition, we talked a lot and discussed, and all opinions were directed in one direction, but we only showed a clear and complete definition of what we had to say. All of us were concerned with the Syrian people, wherever they are.
His concern, his aspirations, his daily life and the devotion of his humanity.
Here is a brief overview of the personal and artistic cards of the five artists:

Akram Ghatrif:
Born in 1962 in Suwayda.
- Graduated from the Applied Arts Center in As-Suwayda 1981 - Participated in the Fourth Annual General Exhibition of Syrian Light Artists (1983).
Graduated from the Intermediate Institute for Textile Industries (1984).

Muhammad Sobhi Kedimi:
Born in 1958 in Damascus.
- Graduate of the Faculty of Architecture. Damascus University (1981).
- Graduated from the Walid Ezzat Center for Applied Arts (1983).
- Participated in the third and fourth annual exhibitions of Syrian photo artists 1982-1983.

Adnan Al-Masry:
Born in 1962, Damascus.
Graduated from the Intermediate Industrial Institute (1983).
- Graduated from the Walid Ezzat Center for Applied Arts (1983).
Participated in the Fourth General Annual Exhibition of Syrian Photo Artists (1983).

Suleiman the Egyptian:
Born in 1957 in Damascus.
Graduated from the Intermediate Institute for Technical Observers (1978).
- Graduated from the Walid Ezzat Center for Applied Arts (1983).
- Participated in the Fourth General Annual Exhibition of Syrian Photo Artists (1983).

George Achi:
Born in 1940 in Dahr Safra (Syrian coast). - Diploma in Decoration from the International School in Lebanon.
- A special study in playing the violin and practicing the symphony orchestra, which was established by the Ministry of Culture and National Guidance in 1960.
Member of the Fine Arts Syndicate in the Syrian Arab Republic.
- Member of the General Union of Arab Plastic Artists.
- Founder of the Art of Photography Club in Damascus, member of the General Union of Syrian Photographers.
- Two collections of poetry in the Syrian dialect (Two Words of Sighs) 1964 and (Hunger and Love) 1970.
- Confused about the first prize in the folk song festival in 1975.
- Won the second prize in the Qatar Arab Television Festival for his work (The Magic Feather) in 1975.
- Winner of the second prize of the Ministry of Culture and National Guidance in the lyrical operetta composition competition for his work (The Blue Wind Fantasy) in 1967.
- Member of the Society of Authors, Composers and Musical Arrangers in Paris as a songwriter.
- Practicing in the Syrian press for more than twenty years as an art critic.
He has songs, musical dramas, variety programs and dramas on Damascus TV and Radio and Beirut Radio.
- Six Medals of Appreciation from different entities and organizations, one of which was from the former Prime Minister, Major General Abdel Rahman Khlefawi.
- The second prize and the silver medal of the International Press Photo Exhibition (Enterpress Photo, 1983)
Honor Award from the Union of Journalists of the German Democratic Republic in 1983.
- Diploma of honor from the Union of Journalists in the People's Republic of Mongolia in 1983.
Medal of the Czechoslovak writer (Vucic 1983).
- Eight personal exhibitions and a participant in most of the local, Arab and international exhibitions.

F. Zafur