What's now clear in the Arab world is that while the Tunisian, the Egyptian and other revolutions have started, these will unfold and metamorphose over many years to come. Concurrently, murals across the streets of Cairo blossomed, witnessing vigorous and constantly changing graphic diversity. Protesters of all stripes succeeded in showcasing their demands, their ambitions and most of all their cynicism on wall surfaces in all Egyptian cities and villages. Alongside, parliamentary and presentation campaigns are scrambling to form an epic story on all the walls of Cairo streets. Layers of drawings, posters, stickers accumulate to reflect hundreds of demands and multi-colored turmoil. Pictures of candidates for office are plastered on walls, torn, replaced by others which are torn again, with the mosaic creating virtual candidates who are no longer real. Graffiti is made and removed, in a constant ballet, by the military or the police or Islamists or others unknown, in a constant, permanent interaction between creation and omission.

The living murals change every day and every moment. Hence comes the importance of documenting the moment from historical, artistic and social perspectives.

The artist monitored his surrounding reality through photography then, through his own artistic intervention, reflected on his surroundings, his street, his city and his country. His artwork bursts with feelings and vitality, in multiple layers and mediums (paintings, tapestry, paper, mixed media, videos) expressing the turmoil, variety and sheer creative explosion playing out on revolutionary streets.

-Sana Gallery

Image: © Mohamed Abouelnaga
Streets of Cairo
2013
© Sana Gallery