Sherif Sonbol
Sherif Sonbol | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Sherif Sonbol |
| Nationality | Egyptian |
| Education | Autodidact |
| Known for | Photography |
Sherif Sonbol (born December 6, 1956 in Egypt) is a photographer specializing in architecture, scenic fine arts and photojournalism.
Early life
Sherif Sonbol was born in Giza, Cairo. He lost his mother and was diagnosed with diabetes, all around the age of three.
He studied insurance at Cairo University and attended the Chartered Insurance Institute in London. He worked for the Egyptian Reinsurance Company as a marine underwriter. He was the accidental witness of a riff-raff between the company's marine hull insurance manager and the chief of the syndicate. Caught up in a delicate bureaucratic situation, Sonbol was told testifying about the incident meant the end of his career in insurance. As a result, he decided to pursue one of his passions -photography- and tried his luck at Al-Ahram, where he soon started working as a freelancer.[1]
Career
It only took a few months for him to become a full-time photographer at Al-Ahram under the auspices of Antoun Albert.[2].
He was also responsible for starting and heading the photography department in Nesf-El-Dunia Magazine.
Although achieving professional goals and popularity at Al-Ahram, at a certain point Sonbol saw the need of leaving the newspaper in order to be recruited by the American Embassy´s as official photographer. This position was finally not materialized but still the American Embassy incorporated him to its computer department as graphic designer and computer trainer for newcomers [3], a situation he didn´t feel too comfortable in.[1] On the occasions the Embassy required a photographer, he was to perform this task too.
He managed to combine these roles with his work in the New Cairo Opera House, where he had been taking pictures since it opened its doors in 1988. Eventually Sonbol resigned his place at the American Embassy and returned to Al-Ahram; this time to the Al-Ahram Weekly,[1] where he would soon become head of the photography department.
Apart from his work at the Weekly, Sonbol became the main photographer of Kalam-El-Nass and Maraya-El-Nass magazines, influencing the publications with his own particular style: As celebrity photographer for Kalam-El-Nass, his first cover feautirng actress Ghada Adel revolutioned the local industry, as it was the first cover portrait done outside a photo-studio in Egypt.
He stayed six years as main photographer of Kalam-El-Nass. On his last year there, the Maraya-El-Nass magazine project[4] saw the light. This was an interior design magazine belonging to the same group as Kalam-El-Nass. The project´s key artistic responsibles were to be writer Moguib Rushdi and himself, so he was fully transferred to the new magazine, despite he asked to keep his position at Kalam-El-Nass. Here too he managed to "shake the foundations of Egyptian interior photography with his use of natural light"[5].
Currently Sonbol manages to combine his responsabilities as chief photographer in Al-Ahram Weekly [6] and in the Cairo Opera House [7] [8] with other projects.
As a freelancer, he occasionally contributes to other publications -including Kalam-El-Nass-. He participates in photography campaigns and other job assignments too. He has also collaborated with important cultural centers such as the Bibliotheca Alexandrina[9]. His work has been displayed in various exhibits worldwide and has been the subject of doctorate thesis[10][11]
He has given seminars at AFCA (Académie Francophone Cairote des Arts )[12] and teaches photography at the Ahram Canadian University [13] since 2008.
He has worked on several books, and has managed to bring to life some of his own initiatives such as "Mulid! Carnivals of Faith", "40 Pyramids of Egypt and their neighbors" (both English and Arabic versions) or "The Nile Cruise, a Photographic Guide".
Through one of his most recent freelance projects, Sonbol tries to bring Western and Arabic cultures closer together in order to promote a better understanding and communication.[14]
Technique and style
- One of Sonbol´s trademarks is his use of natural available light; a technique he developed under the encouragement of Antoun Albert.[15]
- An acute sense of timing is also characteristic of his images. This is especially evident in his ballet shots and The New York Times referred to it as "a particular agile eye" adding that "Even when Sonbol concentrates on stillness, he exemplifies Martha Graham's adage that a pause is not a pose but "an act of accomplishment" ".[16] Sonbol developed his eye for dance under the supervision of Erminia Gambarelli Kamel, former prima ballerina and currently artistic director of the Cairo Opera House Ballet.[15][16]
- As a self-taught photographer, he has developed the ability to play with both classical photographic technical premises -such as leveled planes or direct clean angles-, and more innovative and unorthodox techniques. His eye for photographic composition also contributes to make his style easily identifiable.
Critical reception
"Nothing is more beautiful than to express art through art…" -Naguib Mahfouz, Nobel Laureate[17]
"Rare is the photographer who looks at a familiar art form and shows it in a new light. But Sherif Sonbol’s stunning and revelatory dance photographs [show] a particularly agile eye… apt to shoot from a catwalk above the stage or from the wings, frequently abstracting shapes into dynamic and explosive bursts of color." -Anna Kisselgoff, New York Times[16]
"An artist has reached the pinnacle of his profession when his work can be recognised without his signature being written…" -Mounir Kenaan, leading Egyptian painter [18]
Achievements
- The first Egyptian photographer ever to have a picture book publshed ("Mulid! Carnivals of Faith").
- The only Egyptian photographer whose work has been subject of an exhibit at New York´s Lincoln Center.
- The first Egyptian photographer to have a picture book about Egyptian antiquities ("40 Pyramids of Egypt and their Neighbors").
- His book "40 Pyramids of Egypt and their Neighbors" was the first photography book to be ever published about the Pyramids in Arabic language.
Additional reading
- Opera 1988-1993, (Cairo Opera House 1993)
- Aida, (Cairo Opera House 1999)[19]
- Pharaohs of the Sun: Akhenaten : Nefertiti : Tutankhamen, (Bullfinch Press & Boston Museum for Fine Arts 1999, ISBN 0821226207 & ISBN 978-0821226209 ) Contributor.
- Swan Lake for Children, (Cairo Opera House 2000)
- Mulid! Carnivals of Faith, (AUC Press 2001, ISBN 9774245199 & ISBN 978-9774245190)
- Mamluk Art: The Splendor and Magic of the Sultans (Museum with No Frontiers & Transatlantic Publications 2001, ISBN 1874044376 )
- The Pharaohs, (Bompiani Arte & Thames and Hudson 2002, ISBN 8874230230) Main contributor.
- Der Turmbau Zu Babel – Ursprung Vielfalt von Sprache und Schrift (Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien & Skira 2003, ISBN 3854970552 & ISBN 8884915431) Contributor.
- 40 Pyramids of Egypt and their neighbors, (Cyperus Press 2005, ISBN 9775052173)
- 40 Pyramids of Egypt and their neighbors, Arabic version (Al Hayaa Al Masriya Al-Aama Lel Ketab 2005, ISBN 9774196902)
- Egyptian Palaces and Villas, (Abrams Inc & AUC Press 2006, ISBN 0810955385 & ISBN 978-0810955387)
- The Churches of Egypt: From the Journey of the Holy Family to the Present Day, (AUC Press 2007, ISBN 9774161068 & ISBN 978-9774161063)
- Arts of the City Victorious (Yale University Press 2008, ISBN 978-0300135428 & ISBN 0300135424) Main contributor.
- Christianity and Monasticism in Wadi al-Natrun: Essays from the 2002 International Symposium of the Saint Mark Foundation and the Saint Shenouda the Archimandrite Coptic Society, Edited by Maged S.A. Mikhail & Mark Moussa, (AUC Press 2009, ISBN 978-9774162602) Cover image.
- Opera 1988-2008 (Cairo Opera House 2009, ISBN 978-9774791660) [8]
- Al-Tahra Palace, A Gem in a Majestic Garden (CULTNAT / Bibliotheca Alexandrina 2009, ISBN 9789774521447)
- The Nile Cruise, a Photographic Guide (AUC Press 2010, ISBN 9774163028 & ISBN 978-9774163029 )
References
- ^ a b c Al-Ahram Weekly October 2003, interview following a hugely successful five-week exhibition of his work at the Lincoln Centre in New York.
- ^ Cultnat on Antoun Albert, small profile featured in the book "Nubia through two Eras".
- ^ At that time (early-mid '80s) the use of computers and word processors was not as widespread as it is nowadays.
- ^ An unsuccessful advertisement strategy resulted in Maraya-El-Nass having to close its doors a few years later.
- ^ Afaaf Abu Zaahr & Ghada Abu Zahr, editors of "Mirrors" and Kalam-El-Nass magazines
- ^ "A Nubian Journey (Al-Ahram Weekly January-February 2010)"Sonbol's first text contribution to Al-Ahram Weekly: an original article on a usually very secluded event.
- ^ Cairo Opera House 10th anniversary exhibit reviewAl-Ahram Weekly, October 1998
- ^ a b Al Ahram Weekly July 2009, Review on Sonbol´s book "Cairo Opera House 1988-2008".
- ^ Bibliotheca Alexandrina "Ecclesiastical Spirituality" exhibit Al-Ahram Weekly review on his latest exhibit in Bibliotheca Alexandrina (December 2008)
- ^ Eszter Dobay, The Hungarian Moholy-Nagy Academy of Arts. Thesis title: “On the portrayal of movement/action in photography”
- ^ Paula van Akkeren, Amsterdam. Thesis titles: “What is the role of photography in Egypt” and “The relation between photography and art”
- ^ AFCA Photography Course, 2006-2007.
- ^ Ahram Canadian University´s official website.
- ^ The project is moving slowly given the difficulty of finding proper sponsors.
- ^ a b Egypt Today February 2006, article on the history of Photography in Egypt.
- ^ a b c New York Times October 2003, review and interview on occasion of Lincoln Center Exhibit.
- ^ Alrai Alaa Newspaper, Naguib Mahfouz on Sonbol's first exhibit at the Cairo Opera House, interview by Ashraf Sadek,(link in Arabic).
- ^ Featured in Sonbol's catalogues, this special message was delivered by Mounir Kenaan's wife, author Sanaa El-Beissy.
- ^ Al Ahram Weekly October 1998,article on "Aida" show at the Giza Pyramids. Sonbol´s book was based on this unique production.