Egyptian women artists after the revolution of January 25, 2011.
Their work reflects their reaction to the events in Tahrir Square and their disappointment in the lack of recognition of women’s rights by the new order.
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NADINE HAMMAN
Nadine Hamman
Tank Girl, 2012,
Acrylic on canvas and mixed media,
66 x 74 inches,
Courtesy of the artist
This piece references the incident during the crackdown in Tahiri Square when the woman in the
blue bra was stripped by the military and forced to undergo a test to determine whether
she was a virgin. In Hamman’s painting, the woman wears a red bra and rides a tank, the
gun of the tank a phallic image spewing sperm/rats
HUDA LUTFI
Huda Lutfi
Crossing the Red Line, 2011
Mixed media, photomontage, collage, and acrylic,
33 x 74 inches,
Courtesy of the artist
Mubarak’s regime established “red lines” that could not be crossed. Here empowered
women cross their own red line. They wear caps with an emblem of a white dove for
peace, and the faces include an important Egyptian rock star
Huda Lutfi
Housebound, 2008,
Mixed media, photo collage, and mannequin legs,
25 x 15 x 6 inches,
Courtesy of the artist
The legs of the mannequin are decorated with images of the heads of Egyptian women
Huda Lutfi
Lipstick and Moustache, 2010,
Mixed media, collage, synthetic resin sculpture,
And plastic eyeglasses,
Each: 13 x 6 x 5 inches,
Courtesy of the artist
The artist is making the point that men and women are basically the same and thus
entitled to the same rights. The mannequins are identical except that one has a moustache
and the other lipstick
NAZLI MADKOUR
Nazli Madkour,
Woman, 2011,
Mixed media on canvas,
16 x 17 inches,
Courtesy of the artist
This artist’s imagery changed as a result of the revolution from still life compositions to
heads of women embodying a more tragic vision. Madkour is one of the older artists in
the group
SOUAD ABDEL RASOUL
Souad Abdel Rasoul,
Untitled (man with red tears),
From the exhibition Maps Miracle,
Mashrabia Gallery, Cairo, 2012,
Courtesy of the artist
Red tears mark the map-lined face of this man, referring to many aspects of life in
Egypt
Souad Abdel Rasoul,
Untitled (woman with topknot hair),
From the exhibition,
Mashrabia Gallery, Cairo, 2012,
Courtesy of the artist
Using maps across the images of the faces of men and women, Rasoul emphasizes the
relationship between the public and the private aspects of one’s life
GAZBIA SIRRY
Gazbia Sirry
About the January 25, 2011 Revolution, Egypt (#1)
Oil on canvas,
13 x 16 inches,
Courtesy of the Zamalek Art Gallery, Cairo
Gazbia Sirry
About the January 25, 2011 Revolution, Egypt (#2)
Oil on canvas,
31 x 31 inches,
Courtesy of the Zamalek Art Gallery, Cairo
Sirry is the oldest of the artists represented. These two pieces show how she was
affected by the revolution—jarring colors and shapes