Vessela Farid has made the difficult task of creating pure and instantly identifiable 'Egyptian Art' appear almost effortless. Her work is spectacularly local, managing to steer away from the superficial & foreign approach to her experience of the country. Her attention to the forms & body language of her subjects is brilliant, and the work boasts of its adamant refusal to falling victim of the romanticized Orientalist wash that most artists sweep across paintings of Egypt.

The Zamalek Art Gallery will hold a collective show of 40 or more of her paintings, hoping to remind viewers of the great talent that we have lost: Vessela Farid passed away at the age of 93 in 2007, leaving us with a substantial body of inspiring and soulful work. The subjects of Vessela Farid's studies were patiently observed and sensitively portrayed. Most of her female subjects are sitting on the floor, with a slight tilt which comes about from how their heads rest on their hands: A position any Egyptian will no doubt instantly recognize. However, new to this retrospective exhibition is a collection of pieces never before presented by the prolific artist. Depicting reclining women- a rarer figural representation then her usual crouching or cross-legged women- as well as rows of young men in jeans, strained together in a tight canvas. Both subjects are indescribably local, with enough character, zeal and understanding of the culture that is seldom matched by other artists.

Vessela's choice of colours is a mixture of earthy and pastel tones that are occasionally interrupted by a primary red, blue or a bright magenta. The colours capture the essence of peasant scenes and the countryside. Her method of capturing light through colour is reminiscent of Pierre Bonnard's studies, and her calculated yet urgent medley of brushstrokes is quite like those of Monet, which places Vessela's style in the whereabouts of Impressionism: A school whose style of painting in organized chaos echoes the lifestyle of living in Egypt.

A pleasure to experience and be moved by, this retrospective exhibition will present the best works of Vessela Farid, an artist whose genuine love for the country has made his Bulgarian artist more Egyptian than most, with work that delivers the true pulse and soul of Egypt.