Is soil merely the ground beneath our feet, or an arena where power, labor, and resistance are inscribed? Renowned Egyptian painter Ibrahim El Dessouki poses this question in his solo exhibition Testimony of the Soil at Hafez Gallery. Curated by Dr. Sara Raza, the exhibition brings together the artist’s allegorical paintings, drawing inspiration from Egypt’s socio-political history, cinema, and literature.
El Dessouki, particularly through a new series of cotton flower paintings, references the Ottoman and British colonial eras. These works are inspired by a pivotal scene set in a cotton field from director Youssef Chahine’s cult film Al Ard (1969). The artist transforms the cotton flower into a complex symbol, spanning innocence to exploitation. Alongside cotton flowers, the exhibition features cacti, olive trees, and various depictions of soil. El Dessouki explores the soil not only as a tangible material but also as a symbolic space inscribed with themes of resistance, nourishment, melancholy, despair, and disillusionment. His works vividly convey the emotional and historical weight borne by the Egyptian people through a powerful and striking visual language.
Exhibition Details:
Artist: Ibrahim El Dessouki
Title: Testimony of the Soil
Venue: Hafez Gallery
Dates: October 10–25, 2025
Curator: Dr. Sara Raza
