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Lot Essay
In his delicate photographs, the Egyptian artist Youssef Nabil depicts seductive and sensuous characters in almost theatrical poses. The women in his photographs evoke the Middle Eastern and North African clichés of beauty, once discovered in the Orientalist paintings of the 19th century, although their depictions often reveal subtle irony.
Youssef Nabil's observation of life is inspired by cinematographic practices and many of his photographic works, enhanced by his distinctive technique of hand-colouring, are reminiscent of film stills from the golden age of Egyptian cinema and become somehow nostalgic of a better past.
In the present work, Fifi Abdou, a well-known Egyptian actress is depicted smoking the shisha as if to suggest her provocative routines, which made her very much part of the mainstream of Egyptian popular culture.
Youssef Nabil's works have been exhibited in major venues around the world including the British Museum in London and Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha. He currently lives and works in New York.
Youssef Nabil's observation of life is inspired by cinematographic practices and many of his photographic works, enhanced by his distinctive technique of hand-colouring, are reminiscent of film stills from the golden age of Egyptian cinema and become somehow nostalgic of a better past.
In the present work, Fifi Abdou, a well-known Egyptian actress is depicted smoking the shisha as if to suggest her provocative routines, which made her very much part of the mainstream of Egyptian popular culture.
Youssef Nabil's works have been exhibited in major venues around the world including the British Museum in London and Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha. He currently lives and works in New York.