I was born into a traditional farming family in 1989 near Tunis

village in the Fayoum Oasis, south of Cairo

 

Situated by a vast lake on the edge of the  great Western desert,

the oasis is famous for its abundance of plant, animal and bird life. 

It is the site of Crocodilopolis, one of the most ancient communities

in the world, and has been farmed for over 4000 years by a

succession of people including the Greco-Romans whose faces

are immortalised in the famous Fayoum mummy portraits. 

 

I was taught that the earth was the giver of all life. As soon as I

could walk, I accompanied my father as he went out at first light to

work the earth - wheat, olives, onions, garlic, and fodder for the

animals. I spent my time playing with clay to create shapes from

the world I saw around me - buffaloes, donkeys, horses, camels,

palm trees and birds.

 

In the mid 1980's the Swiss-French ceramicist, Evelyne Porret, established her now-internationally famous, Fayoum Pottery School in the village of Tunis. Her vision was to give the children of the farmers an alternative way in life other than working the land, drawing their inspiration from the nature around them. I was around the age of ten, when I visited the school to see their work. I was very excited by what I saw and joined the school the next day.

 

After eight years of learning, I taught and worked at the school for four years. From 2007 to 2012, I commuted three days a week to study Fine Arts at the University of Al Azhar in Cairo. I graduated in 2012 and am now officially qualified to teach pottery, drawing and fine arts in the local schools. At the age of 22, I built my own workshop, studio and guest house on the outskirts of the village.

 

In 2014, I made my first trip out of Egypt to France, and spent an exciting month observing the work of the French ceramicists in Lyon and the surrounding area. I saw many new techniques, colours and technology which were previously unknown to me.

 

The clay is my life. It reflects my inner world and the simplicity and silence of the world that surrounds me. In my work, I am not looking for a linear perfection, but rather an organic spontaneity which comes from the life I see and feel. My wish is to continue growing and expanding - always surprising - always new.

 

Mahmoud Yousef

Tunis, Fayoum