"The Road Ahead"
collage
(click to enlarge)
3500 LE (US$ 585)  sold

For the centre of my collage I chose a photograph of Al-Muizz el Din Street. The once bustle with life district of Al-Hussein is now a year after the revolution deserted and desolate. For the shopkeepers there is no light at the horizon. Earning a decent living became a dream and hardship prevails. The background of the art work depicts various stages of Egyptian history. Egypt was and will be always the battleground for the mighty powers. The characters spread all over the collage present these powers. They are actually chosen from the figures used in the traditional Egyptian Puppet Theatre.

One cannot understand the Egyptian January Revolution without looking back at the history of the country. So, I tried to connect the past and the present – from Pharaonic times to Tahrir
Square, from prosperous ages to the perilous state of the Egyptian economy nowadays. Despite of the situation I chose bright colours for my collage to keep a positive outlook.

"The Road Ahead (2)"
acrylic on canvas
(click to enlarge)
3500 LE (US$ 585)

The Egyptian revolution brought forward great expectations and hopes for the masses, especially for those, who suffered from the chronic high rate of unemployment, elevated inflation rates and widespread poverty. So, at the election day for the Upper House of Parliament the turnout was high, despite the fact that the chances of the Freedom and Justice Party in coalition with the old liberal Party of Waft for winning the election and taking the control of the parliament was highly expected. However, on that day there was a feeling of pride, freedom and festivity in the air. I tried to capture the atmosphere of that day in my painting. The elections are a step ahead to a still unpredictable future.

Additional entry - not shown at exhibition
(for website sale)