Fifteen designers, Artists and studios from Egypt and abroad join master craftsmen to reinterpret traditional crafts, celebrating the people and skills behind these enduring traditions.

Crafts Re-Imagined, presented by Art D’Égypte by CulturVator at Bayt Al Suheimy, brings together 15 designers, artists and studios from Egypt and abroad. Each has worked alongside some of the country’s master craftsmen to create pieces that build on skills passed down through generations.

The exhibition draws on a wide range of traditions: copper and brass work, mother-of-pearl and bone inlay, woodworking and turning, and khayamiya, the appliquéd textile art associated with Cairo’s Street of the Tentmakers. It continues the vision of Re-Imagined Narratives, curated by Art D’Égypte in 2019 on Al-Muizz Street, and presents Historic Cairo as a living centre of culture, craftsmanship and creativity.

The masters at the centre

At the heart of the show are five master craftsmen, each representing a distinct tradition: Hussein Abdelkhalek Ahmed (copper and brass), Mohamed Magdy (mother-of-pearl inlay), Essam Ali Khalil (khayamiya), Hussein El-Sisi (woodworking) and Wael Sultan (bone inlay). They were present at the opening evening, which welcomed diplomats, artists, designers and public figures, among them H.E. Suresh Reddy, Ambassador of India, and H.E. Dr. Bart De Groof, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium.

For Nadine Abdel Ghaffar, founder of Art D’Égypte by CulturVator, the aim was to treat designers and craftsmen as equal contributors to the creative process. She sees the exhibition as more than a display of finished works: it is a platform for collaboration, knowledge exchange and the continued appreciation of traditional craft. “We believe that supporting these communities means more than showcasing their work,” she said. “It means creating opportunities, building connections, encouraging collaboration, and ensuring that traditional crafts continue to have a meaningful place in our contemporary world.”

Stories in wood, brass, silk and pearl

The works are as varied as the creatives behind them. Swiss Egyptian artist Alyaa Kamel worked with Essam Ali Khalil on An Ibis Laughed, a Lotus Bloomed, a bronze bookshelf standing on ibis legs, the bird of Thoth and symbol of wisdom. It is crowned by a lotus and holds textile books woven entirely in white.

Paris-based textile artist Helena Bajaj-Larsen, of Indian and Norwegian heritage, presents Sangam-Ra, a hand-painted and embroidered silk in which golden riverbeds meet and fragment as they try to speak to one another.

Architect and designer India Mahdavi, of Iranian and Egyptian heritage, unveils the Cairo edition of The Bishop, her stool and side table first created in 1999. Made with Mohamed Magdy and Hussein El-Sisi, it is covered in mother-of-pearl inlay inspired by Islamic geometric patterns, pairing the chess piece’s Western symbolism with Egypt’s decorative heritage.

Jiang Qiong Er, the Chinese artist and designer who co-founded Shang Xia with Hermès, contributes the Whispering Clouds Secret Box, crafted in bamboo marquetry with thin, hand-cut strips inlaid and polished into drifting cloud patterns. Her presence places Egypt’s inlay traditions in conversation with China’s.

Several pieces speak directly to Egyptian memory and place. Alef Gallery presents Aber Sabil, a hand-painted wooden sabil, or wall fountain, adorned with gold leaf, floral arabesques and Iznik-inspired patterns.

Laila Sedky, great-granddaughter of Talaat Harb, reinterprets her 2021 painting Talaat Harb Square in khayamiya, reconnecting her roots in Downtown Cairo with one of Egypt’s oldest textile crafts.

Alia El Kaissouni of Silk & Pomegranates offers Qahwet Balady, an homage to the traditional Egyptian coffeehouse, with a table and chairs elevated through mother-of-pearl inlay and khayamiya.

Furniture and objects take centre stage elsewhere. Green Door by Amira presents three pieces working with Hussein Abdelkhalek Ahmed and Wael Sultan: the Garden Canopy headboard in oak, the Brass and Blooms Credenza, and the Mashrafiya stool in stainless steel and walnut.

R’KAN by Rania Fahmy offers the Flower-Splash Coffee Table, pairing a petal-shaped glass top with a solid brass base. Saridah, drawing on Mamluk and Ayyubid history, shows the hand-blown glass Mishkah and its backgammon sets in wood, copper and mother-of-pearl.

Shewekar Elgharably presents the hand-carved Tajalli Cabinet and the Sukun Love Bench.

Zeina ElHoushy of Tamar by Z created Assyuti, a chair inspired by Bedouin culture whose four legs are each turned using a different traditional technique, a celebration of the individual artisan within a single design.

TFD / Heyitsfafi’s Qamariya coffee table reinterprets the architectural language of Bayt Al Suheimy itself, while Thuluth Studio’s Siwa collection brings the woven palm fibre Ashmir Mirror and the Ajda side table, inspired by Siwan weddings and old houses.

A collective act of creativity

Perhaps the most moving work is by Seif El Rashidi, the Cairo-born heritage specialist who has focused on khayamiya since 2010. In a Place Not Far from Here comprises eleven hand-stitched hangings, each made by a different workshop on the Street of the Tentmakers and inspired by Al-Maqrizi’s account of children freeing birds as acts of faith. They hang beneath a historic star-patterned dome, a tribute to the collective creativity of Cairo’s tentmakers.

Abdel Ghaffar also thanked the partners and supporters behind the exhibition: Integrity Immersive Events, IM Motors, BICC Cables, Don Tanani, Tabali (catering partner), Momentum McCann, Melee and Abu Auf, with special thanks to MO4, the exclusive media partner.