The Lebanese artist Nadim Karam, among his "Desert Flowers," three lotus-shaped sculptures installed at the foot of the Pyramids of Giza. (Credit: Enrico Di Leo)
L'Orient-Le Jour: The lotus is a major symbol of rebirth in ancient Egypt, but has nearly vanished from the landscape. What drew you to the idea of reviving an erased symbol?Nadim Karam: I wasn’t seeking to create symbols—they emerged on their own, intuitively, in direct contact with the materials. The roots of the lotus germinate in darkness, in a place we do not see, but its stem rises toward the light to bloom in a form of beauty. Fragile, rare. To me, it embodies Cairo’s cultural effervescence and the immense spatial and temporal dimensions that nourish it. These three blooming lotuses speak as much to the depths of the past as to the creativity of those writing new stories today.OLJ: Your “Desert Flowers” emerge from the sand like forgotten tales. What voices did you want to unearth by placing them in Giza?NK: The work consists...
L'Orient-Le Jour: The lotus is a major symbol of rebirth in ancient Egypt, but has nearly vanished from the landscape. What drew you to the idea of reviving an erased symbol?Nadim Karam: I wasn’t seeking to create symbols—they emerged on their own, intuitively, in direct contact with the materials. The roots of the lotus germinate in darkness, in a place we do not see, but its stem rises toward the light to bloom in a form of beauty. Fragile, rare. To me, it embodies Cairo’s cultural effervescence and the immense spatial and temporal dimensions that nourish it. These three blooming lotuses speak as much to the depths of the past as to the creativity of those writing new stories today.OLJ: Your “Desert Flowers” emerge from the sand like forgotten tales. What voices did you want to unearth by placing them in Giza?NK: The work...
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