Ramses Wissa Wassef’s Tapestry of Dreams
It Takes a Village
DIVAZ x ELYANNA
A unique tapestry weaving venture at the Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Center has generated remarkable pieces that are appreciated and acquired by galleries and museums worldwide. Founded by Ramses Wissa Wassef in the 1950s, the Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Center, located in Giza, is renowned for its focus on Egyptian art and crafts. His goal was to unleash the natural creativity of young Egyptian villagers who were not subjected to conventional schooling. His innovative teaching approach was an act of love and confidence in the child's potential. However, for almost 50 years now, the legacy has been carried on by Suzanne and Yoanna Wissa Wassef, children of Ramses, after his passing, alongside their late mother Sophie Habib Gorgi. Sophie directed the first generation of wool weavers after her husband, while Suzanne directed the second generation of wool weavers and ceramic artists and Yoanna directed and grew the numbers of second generation fine-cotton weavers and batik artists. They magnificently managed to preserve and maintain their father’s vision and soul, while adding their own touch. Today, the foundation promotes the creative expression of local artisans, offering jobs from a young age to artists that you wouldn’t conventionally categorize as ones, as well as workshops and exhibitions that celebrate and preserve Egypt’s rich cultural heritage. The true beauty of the center, however, lies in the authenticity of the true labor of love that is this homegrown family heritage—a true gem in the heart of Egypt. Divaz sat down with Suzanne Ramses Wissa Wassef to find out more about this life-changing venture and her father’s remarkable legacy.
Talk to us about your background and the Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Center.
I am responsible for the second generation of fabricators, and I was a tailor. My father, the founder, was an architect who studied Fine Arts in France. His work was very inspired by the old crafts. When he came back to Egypt and started his professional life, he was appointed as the head of the architecture department, and he was teaching History of Art and Architecture in the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo. He would stroll in old areas, to see the old architecture and how they were decorated. He felt that he wanted to add an artistic touch to the art of craft and really highlight the art of it. When the machine came into our lives, all these crafts became extinct. But he had a strong belief in the creative energy and art in all people. He wanted to prove this idea through tapestry weaving. He taught himself how to weave. He used to create a lot of pieces, and he taught himself how. That’s what inspired him to start. The Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Center.
What was the idea behind the Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Center?
My father found Al-Harraniya, an agricultural village, a simple village with no electricity and no education for children. For him, this was a waste of potential. He wanted to help the people and add this activity to their lives, to give them a chance to build a better future, and at the same time prove that art exists in all people. In 1950, he bought a land in Al-Harraniya, and he started to come once a week with my mother. A year later, when the first atelier was built, he asked the children of the village if they wanted to learn how to weave. He was happy that this was a chance for them to do something different. So, he brought the materials, and showed them how to put the threads on wool, and what weaving is. He gave them the place, and told them, to show him what they were going to do with it. He didn't even live there, but he still visited the place once a week, to see how the children were doing. They gained discipline and respected what he gave them, and every child took his own wool and started to try to translate what they imagined.
Suzanne Ramses by Ämr Ezzeldinn
Ikram Nosshi by Ämr Ezzeldinn
How did your work at the foundation first start?
Well, when I was younger, I would visit the village with my father and I was the same age as the children, so I also learned how to weave and create. I would follow my father on his research. He used to research pottery and I found it so interesting. So, when I grew up, I followed in his footsteps and decided to start the second generation of tapestry weavers. I wanted to discover every child’s idea, and their own style. In 1973, I started with a group. My father told me that if I was doing this work to please him, he didn't need me, because he had already proved his idea, and succeeded, but if I wanted to do this because I love it, then he supports me.
What were some of the biggest challenges that you faced along your journey thus far?
The hardest challenge for me, was losing my father. I started in 1972, with the first group, and my father died in 1974; I was 24 years old. I was still in my early years and he was everything to me, and he remains so until this very day. Whenever there is a problem, or something I have to think about, I think about him and his words. He was a very special and sensitive person, and he read people's minds. Even when he died, all the first generation came to our house, for two or three weeks straight, and they asked us how they would continue without him...He was like a mirror; we saw our soul in him.
What moment stands out as a deeply personal victory that made you feel proud of yourself and your work?
I think that my job is a very big responsibility. We work with simple people, their problems are big and they often require medical attention, but they care about us and we care about them. We've become family, and it is very rewarding in that way. We always grow together.
Who is your Diva?
My divas are all the artists I work with, because their art comes from the way we deal with each other, and that's what gives them inspiration. It also gives me inspiration, and gives me the strength to continue doing this work with them. It means so much to me.
