This section is dedicated to the works I do inspired by Lowbrow art. Despite residing in Spain – a country I love -, as an Egyptian artist, in each one of my paintings, I paint based on this style I try to show the soul of Egypt either through iconic figures, allegories, patterns or any other symbol that evokes the Egyptian culture and its traditions.
The “sugar homosia” is a typical Egyptian dessert. During my childhood I was forced to eat it although I did not like it at all because of how hard it is; I always hoped that it would somehow magically melt, and I joked with my friends that everything in this life can be melted except “sugar homosia”.
I grew up and the idea kept coming to my head so I finally decided to draw this painting where the moon represents the hard and unchewable “sugar homosia” and the roses symbolize everything else that melts. I have also included the figure of a cat, a symbol of ancient Egypt and currently present in any of the Egyptian streets.
As an Egyptian artist of the lowbrow art movement I have tried to recall these memories of my childhood in this painting, made with acrylic and oil paints.
Another of the typical Egyptian desserts is known as Aroset El Moled, made with peanuts, sesame seeds, coconut and pistachios. In this painting, the “Aroset El Moled” dessert is the source of my inspiration.
I decided to draw that sweet figure in a different way than the usual Egyptian sugar doll, but I kept the same original shape known in Egypt. I used gold leaf within the central candy circles and in the Islamic design of the architecture shown in the background of the painting; also, as I am a fan of ancient pharaonic designs, I made the relief within the circles with the famous lotus flower that represents ancient Egypt, and I added the gold leaf crowning the dessert. Another very delicious lowbrow art painting
Far from the typical Egyptian look characterized by hazel or black eyes and dark hair, with this painting I wanted to draw a doll with eyes that carry the colour of the sky and in her hair the colours of the sea and sand overlap
I have always wished that I could capture the magic of the sea, the sky and the nature inside a vase. Form this point the idea of the painting emerged, a vase in a shape of a doll that carries in its colours the sea, the sky, roses and butterflies…. a plea to the immense mother nature! I drew her as a little queen with the crown used by the kings of ancient Egypt, and this was the result in lowbrow art style.
There is a story that became famous in Egypt in the 1960s, specifically in the year 1963, when an Egyptian director produced a film called “The Bride of the Nile“; its story revolved around the sacrifices that ancient Egyptians used to make, throwing a beautiful bride into the Nile as a gift to express their loyalty and gratitude for its kindness. This story, despite not being true, was engraved in the minds of the Egyptians since the premiere of the film.
In this painting I have tried to reflect this story by representing the bride of the Nile; however, as a lowbrow art artist, I did not want to stage her as a sacrifice, but only a bride with her veil, enjoying the nature and her dreams, symbolized by floating paper boats.
In Egyptian culture, envy is given great importance, which is why the population avoids spreading, in a very notorious way, their next happy events such as a pregnancy, a marriage or the purchase of a new house.
The Egyptians believe that if others find out about their good news, something bad will happen and things will not go well. Therefore, they often resort to different methods to protect themselves from envy, such as the famous “hand of Fatima” or “Hamsa” – which in Arabic means “five” – or the “eye of envy”, among others.
In this work, this belief is expressed through a bird’s nest, protected under a veil, as well as through the glass that holds the hand of Fatima, used to ward off envy and bad omens, and that will facilitate the protection of the nest, until the hatching of the eggs. Lowbrow art mixing nature and soul.