Life inside the womb

Mosaics illustrating the human development before birth

Nermine El-Masry, a mosaicist making the world think differently not only about mosaic art, but also about life inside the womb.

She was born in 1974 in Cairo, Egypt where she still lives and works. This mosaicist and assistant lecturer manifest the epitome of beauty in all its miscellaneous textures. She finds her insight in earthly wonders, female figures, and most recently internal organs. Illustrating with tiles dissimilar layers and patterns, depicting a secrecy of resources inside the womb.

The artist attempts to bring together realistic forms and the abstract style in her compositions.

Where the question remains:

Are these mosaics a visual manifestation of living layers inside the womb?

Theoretically, if something was seemingly growing and had been fed on oxygen, yet it couldn’t think or identify its existence, how might that affect the cell theory?

Scientifically, it does affect it in several ways! It’s growing, so it must be alive.

Oftentimes we think that all life requires oxygen. However, many microorganisms and anaerobic bacteria don’t require oxygen at all! Nonetheless these species are living down in the soil, under oceans and lakes, and in other areas. To many of them, oxygen appears as a poisonous element, and yet these species are definitely alive.

So obviously whether or not something needs oxygen does not tell if it’s alive.

Alive?

How to define “life” has always been a sweeping question. This far-reaching question concerns the whole branches of biology, biochemistry, genetics, and eventually the search for life elsewhere in the universe.

Through exceptionally expressive mosaics, the artist has opened this debate making the world think differently about mosaic art.

Comparing mosaics to many living elements, to deduce a fact of living mosaics.

This is not a riddle; theoretically when we think of natural stones an early agreement sounds possible. Although living things are inclined to a highly organized complexity, they do have the ability to take in energy from the environment in a way to transform it in growth and reproduction.

“We can assume that any object in our world in alive,” says Marianna Anisosyan, a therapist and expert in biological energy. “Any event is driven by energy, which stones undoubtedly possess too. Every stone carries a certain amount of life in it,” She adds.

The Storm

2015 Award for Technical Distinction

Early in 2015, Nermine Elmasry has participated in The 14th Annual Mosaic Arts International Exhibition. Where The 2015 Award for Technical Distinction was awarded to “The Storm”.

Nermine uses a unique structural style in order to reveal literal and metaphorical meanings in this mosaic.

This Abstract yet figurative mosaic pattern, is called the storm. This simple and descriptive title, ignites the imagination of the witness, and instill a love of exploring the layer emphasis of the contrasting color depth. The structure of the mosaic parallels the external storm happening outside. Nevertheless, describing an internal and metaphorical storm, illustrating the inner conflicts or the internal conflicting organs.

This mosaic comprises various mediums, in order to create the desired chaotic, yet orderly outcome.

She has not only been awarded The Technical Distinction Award of the work that exemplifies excellence in the methods, materials, and execution of traditional mosaic making, but Nermine has also participated in several art exhibition on local and international platforms. Let’s mention some of them:

Selected exhibitions:

2012 Egyptian Cultural Centre, Paris, France
2011 National Council for Art Culture and Letters, Kuwait
2010 International Contemporary Mosaics, Athens, Greece
2009 Contemporary Mosaics, Ravenna, Italy
2008 Cairo Atelier Salon
2007 Egyptian Young Artists, Paris, France
2005 Gezira Art Centre, Cairo
2001 1st Annual Mosaic Exhibition, Cairo

Copyright © Nermine Elmasry, 2016. All rights reserved.

Artist Portfolio: nermineelmasry

Have you ever heard of this ingenious mosaicist ? How did she make you think differently about mosaic art?

Share with us your thoughts in the comment box below.

Enjoyed this article?

You May Also Like want to read MOSAIC PATTERNS: CELEBRATING CLIMATE IN PIECES

Don’t Forget to Subscribe to our Newsletter for Weekly Updates on Mosaic Art, Decor, Creativity and Much More!