Cover Art Concept

Abstract

I am a visual artist based in Cairo, Egypt. I like to experiment with a range of mediums, including digital illustration and design. The work on this issue’s cover, The Opening (2022), was originally part of an exhibition titled tih mish marbuta, loosely translating to “untied” and referring to the Arabic letter taa marbuta, used to identify the feminine form of a word. The name alludes to a visual and symbolic change to this letter, an implied liberation of it. The exhibition, which opened in June 2022 at Motion Gallery in Cairo, was curated by Enjy El Hakim and explored a range of visual expressions of female cultural symbols, namely, the womb, the Arabic word for which rahim has etymological links to thewords for “mercy”and “compassion.” It showcased a range of paintings in various sizes exploring themes of birth, rebirth, and the restricting confinement of labels. The collection also included an installation: a painted gynecological examination chair from the 1970s. This piece is an attempt to dismantle the various systems of gender inequality and the cultural narratives associated with being a woman in Egypt today. Along with the rest of the exhibition collection, it is the result of a two-year struggle to express anger, frustration, and, at times, hopelessness at the current situation of women in Egypt,which peaked in July 2020 when a women’s revolution took place online (dubbed by some as “Egypt’s #metoo movement”). The movement highlighted the atrocities committed in Egypt in the name of “honor,” as well as the discomfort and insecurity thatmostwomenfeel inbothpublic andprivate spacesdue to sexualharassment, assault, and violence.Themovement created anatmosphere of collective trauma and healing, as women would pass on the strength to tell their stories, identify and hold accountable their abusers, and add their voices to a loud