The visual artists, in their interview with ‘Sky News Arabia’, elaborate on the lines that if the artist crossed by transferring works of others, he would have been accused of theft, with the application of examples from the crisis in dispute between Grigory Korasov and Ghada Wali.
The sequence of contention events
In July 2022, the Russian artist accused the graphic designer of stealing 4 paintings from his works and using them with minor modifications to design murals at the Kulliyat al-Banat metro station in Cairo. The metro administration removed the mural and apologized to the Russian artist. A lawyer for the Russian artist has filed lawsuits against Wally, which are pending in court. In May 2023, the Russian artist again accused the graphic designer of having seized his work and used it without his authorization in an advertising campaign for a soft drink. After a year of silence, Wali commented on the Russian artist’s accusations and said in televised statements that “the subway mural was inspired by drawings in an ancient Egyptian cemetery”. Adel Abdel Hamid, Wali’s lawyer, also commented on the painter’s accusation against her, saying it was “an arbitrary fabrication aimed at demolishing his client, who received honors inside and outside of Egypt”.
Business comparison
The former head of the plastic arts sector, professor of decorative design, Khaled Sorour, considers what happened “a full-fledged artistic theft”.
In his interview with “Sky News Arabia”, he inferred this by comparing the artistic works of Wali and the Russian artist, saying:
“There is a clear transfer from Wali of Korasov’s work, bordering on congruence.” “Regarding the lines and directions of the illustration, there is a similarity to the copy stroke.” “Wali took an artistic solution, preceded by the Russian artist.”
Egyptian visual artist and designer Hussein Noah agrees, telling Sky News Arabia:
“Wali’s artwork (cut and paste), as it conveyed the Russian artist’s style of work and the same lines he uses.” “The graphic designer used the same method of expression as the Russian artist, and it shows in the way of designing and drawing the eyes.”
What is the difference between citation and plagiarism?
“Quoting the works of others is not allowed in creative work, but there are limits which, if exceeded, turn into theft,” according to Egyptian scholar Medhat Nafie, who explained to “Sky News Arabia” how to differentiate between the two, in reference to:
“The size of the addition made by the new artistic or scientific work, relative to its counterpart cited from it.” Scientific honesty in clarifying the source of the quotation and the source of the original scientific or artistic inspiration.
Did the Russian artist borrow or steal from Egyptian civilization?
It should be noted that some of the works of the Russian artist revolve around ancient Egyptian art, and here a question arises whether he borrowed or stole these works?
The former head of the plastic arts sector replies: “The artist uses heritage, nature, scientific and artistic theories to draw his ideas and his inspiration.
He added: “If the source and attribution of the original (i.e. the old work) is clarified, then here is an authorized quotation, especially when he puts his own wording on the work, as did the Russian artist.”
Penalty for theft of works of art
Heavy penalties await the artist if found guilty of plagiarizing the works of others, of which Noah says:
“If the court convicts the graphic designer, she will pay significant financial compensation.” “Contracting companies will terminate their contracts, and all projects in which they work with local and international companies will be withdrawn.” “Ghada Wali has already been condemned and punished, as happened with the removal of her works from the College of Girls metro station in Cairo.”
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