The final post of photo selects from Egypt, focusing again on Cairo: mainly scattered sightings of street art on Gezira, the island west of downtown Cairo, on the Nile. I came upon these walls as I was walking from the Opera House metro station to the Cairo Tower, along Al Gezira. Most of the art is from Keizer.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get many shots of street art in Egypt because whipping out my camera sometimes felt inappropriate. There were many missed opportunities, like on my way to Giza, around downtown and Tahrir Square, and in Luxor (after my camera battery died).
Part of me doesn’t want to share this set because it’s obviously lacking, but I suppose it’s worth noting there are walls in this area, near the Novotel Cairo, worth looking for.
Street art by graffiti artist Keizer.
Street art by Keizer.
Resist Imperialism. A wall near the Cairo Tower.
Wall writing on a quiet street on Gezira.
Red on the wall, by Keizer.
A Sad Panda sighting on the same street.
War, Fear, Peace.
Related Posts:
- Photos of Egypt, I: From the Citadel to the Streets in Cairo
- Photos of Egypt, II: The Desert, the Red Sea, and the Devil’s Head
- Photos of Egypt, III: The Temples and Streets of Luxor
- Notes and Numbers from My Moleskine: Egypt, Details, and Sensory Overload
- Luxor and Las Vegas: Kitsch, Appropriation, and Ancient Egypt
I <3 KEIZER
Some of these graffitis look sad, marks of a troubled society in the middle of a revolution and chaos. But none of them look a random act of vandalism, they are more thoughtful, sometimes rebellious aometimes resigned. They are a piece of art in their own self.
Thanks a lot for this wonderful photoset. I went through it thrice. Even though I do not know their language, most of the pics made a lot of sense.
- Puru
This is the smartest and crispiest street art I’ve ever seen (at least on the internet). It’s very intriguing to see how the locals frame their context artistically and understandably.
Hi Kara, I found these stencils on one quiet street on Gezira, but there’s art all over the city…there’s so much more! Thanks for the note and glad you enjoyed these.
Wow I’ve lived in Egypt my entire life, but I’ve never come across this street art. Now you made me want to go out and look for it!
Nicely done!
LOVE this post. I am living in Zamalek and have been paying special attention to the street art as well. I can’t seem to find enough of it. I am especially curious what the meaning is behind the panda and the hummingbird.
I found this post at a funny time because I actually just did a post on my blog with street art I have found myself (I don’t want this to sound like a plug, I just think its all really interesting). There is so much heart behind it all. Keep up the awesome photography!
Love your recent post of street art in Zamalek (and just shared it on Twitter). I now wish I wandered more that day on that side of the city to find these goodies… Thanks for the note, Casey!
Hardly seems necessary to apologise for this post. It might be lacking from your angle but from here it’s still a window into another place, and the way it takes a global phenomenon and makes it local.
Will there be more Egypt posts soon? Or is this the end if it? Back to fleetingness and fog?
This is the last photoset. I’m not sure what to write about Egypt, to be honest. Got a draft nearly ready with some notes and numbers, but it reads more like I’m brushing away mental cobwebs.
I do plan to write about my time there with more reflection — figuring out how to approach it.