Egypt

Abstract

While street art witnessed a mesmerizing blossoming in a number of Arab countries during the momentum of the Arab Spring, this chapter focuses primarily on the Egyptian public scene. It investigates the ephemeral period of street art between 2011 and 2014, in particular in relationship to gender representation and the violence perpetrated against protesting women during and after the 2011 revolution in Egypt. The revolution had opened the path to a novel visual culture that created a new kind of interaction through graffiti. The public display of insults; the unmaking of patriarchal power; new interactive forms that were expressed not only through protests but also through music and dancing in public; the creation of instant installations by displaying coffins, photos, symbols, and objects to commemorate the martyrs and performances – all of these remain in the collective memory as powerful performative rebellious acts.