When an immortal artist dies: Tarek Sharara

When an immortal artist dies: Tarek Sharara

الأربعاء 02-02-2022 21:02

كتب صحيفة التايمز الدولية

by Count Federico Wardal

Cairo. Today he died, a blow to everyone’s heart, to mine, to yours.

But what is life? Less than the art that surpasses it.

Tarek’s music has always surpassed time and the skies.

Tarek was very famous and he won’t be much more ,

but he always will be. When he spoke, he taught to live, he illustrated the world, science and our senses, how to use them well, to create, renew and give to the future what is not the domain of time, but of a music that goes beyond everything.

We met every day and talked about “Extreme” a film that I am making and that says that love does not wait for time, but it is done, it must be done, since death is always lurking and when it arrives it could leave everything unfinished.

Tarek had allowed me to put his music in “Extreme” and a few days ago I sent him the last scene, here it is https://youtu.be/C5Xq8e7MMn4 a very intense scene that I play stressed by the dosage of tones and gestures, feelings with the coldness of the technique of fiction. He had written to me: “stupendous”. On January 20, I was in the Cairo Opera House Salah Taher Museum of Modern Art in the morning as he had told me that he would be there to put the finishing touches on his exhibition. No, Tarek wasn’t there. I was there again at 7pm for the vernissage https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/111491/Tarek-Sharara%E2%80%99s-1st-art-exhibition-%E2%80%98Colors-Strings%E2% 80% 99-to-be-held. To cut the ribbon the great artist Hani Shenouda, a great friend of Tarek, but not Tarek. Suddenly the entrance of a world celebrity, the painter Farouk Hosni, former minister of culture who brought the art of Egypt to the peak of glory. Hosni spoke to me of Tarek Sharara’s greatness as a painter as well. But, why wasn’t Tarek there? COVID. Tarek was sick at home. I called him: no answer. I sent him the photos of the exhibition: he did not see them. I thought that he would call me in a few days. This latest COVID variant is surmountable. Today, I opened fb and suddenly, I don’t know how, his fb account appeared: Mao Abaringo.

There was news of his disappearance. I no longer had the strength to follow the day’s program. I have sent the news to dear friends and sad I was aware that this article that was supposed to celebrate his painting exhibition at the Salah Taher Hall, here, would have talked about what I am talking about. It is night and only now the pain has allowed me to write. I will soon make a video about Tarek and conclude the film “Extreme”, with an extra contribution, since death pushes life to be more alive and the immortality of a great artist like Tarek Sharara to be everywhere. https://youtu.be/q4WeuR0RNNw, https://youtu.be/EKho51s0p7E http://www.tareksharara.com/