Ancient Pulse, Modern Beat
Sabry Marouf
Portrait of Sabry and Marouf by Ämr Ezzeldinn
Dynamic duo, Ahmed Sabry and Sohamed Marouf have created one of the most prominent luxury bag brands in Egypt, Sabry Marouf. Their work honors their common history by fusing elements of ancient Egypt with modern expression to effectively convey something completely original. DIVAZ's guest editor, Karim El Hayawan, sat down with the pair to discuss their artistic process.
Tell us about your method of deconstructing the obvious and avoiding the literal...
Ahmed Sabry: It’s so important to present something new and relevant to us today, because what good would it be to recycle things out of their context? Focusing on the minimum number of elements and then abstracting them is important. There’s a certain refinement in being subtle in one’s references.
Tell us what your shared contemporary world represents to you––from artists, surrounding environments and the human landscape; how do you perceive and reflect it in your work?
Mohamed (Daki) Marouf: I believe that one must stay true to themselves. The work produced should be an expression of my experiences, through my point of view. The contemporary world is the world we currently inhabit, and in that are the valuable and often intangible cultural expressions of today, being defined by us all in our collective experience. Our work aims to connect this idea of modernity with cultural heritage.
Salma Abu Deif by Ämr Ezzeldinn
Your aesthetic language is highly celebrated and communicated by your choice of materials. Walk us through that—it must be quite the endeavor.
MM: We prefer taking an unconventional approach in whatever it is we set out to do. Technical and material innovation is a huge part of our process, so there’s lots of research and development. It is resource intensive with all the trial and error, but in the end, the results accumulate and in fact drive us forward.
AS: I’m always excited about the story, the fantasy, the drama, the characters—Why am I going to do this? What’s the world I’m going to create around the bag? Materials and process in fantasy world are not bound by physical restraints, and so I try to bring this other-worldly element into our day to day life through our work.
Were you ever enticed by other layers or chapters from your Egyptian heritage?
AS: Yes, Egypt has always been a melting pot of cultures and I always want our work to reflect that. If you look at the Amarna period for example, there was a shift in cultural expression with Levantine and Mesopotamian influences. And further into the Ptolemaic period, you see Greek influences. Adjacent cultures are very much interconnected and I find that fascinating, especially when we begin to consider how this notion affects us in the modern world.
Who is your Diva?
MM: Nature.
AS: Gaming.
