Nostalgia (series) The Sisters

‘Years ago, I began to collect old photographs of Egypt, especially from the 1940s and 1950s. In my opinion, Egypt was at the pinnacle of its renaissance and awakening, and Egyptians were at the height of their sense of self-esteem, full of optimism and hope. That sense was among all classes of our society; the rich and the poor.

I learned this from the photos I collected, as well as from the cinema and films of the era, which contributed to my admiration for the aesthetics.

My childhood and my dreams were formed through that world. It became my safety zone to which I run away whenever I felt dissatisfaction and incompatibility with reality. In 2008, I started my Nostalgia project to celebrate that era. The persona of that time is the focus of my paintings. Today, I am happy to exhibit my work in such a fantastic place, that I see as a perfect gallery.

When you launch a gallery inside a heritage place, like the Egyptian Museum in 2017, and now Manial Palace, you sustain that dialogue among generations of artists. Each place has its own soul, that is reflected on everything inside it or around it. The soul of this place affects both artists and visitors in a constructive manner. Also, artists have their own presence, which enriches the soul of the place.’