These works mark my beginnings. Nearly forty years separate me from those days. Some were created during my final year at the Faculty of Fine Arts, but most during the two years following my graduation.
Over this long period, much has changed within me—artistically, intellectually, and as a human being—yet my bond with these works remains untouched.
During my annual visits to my beloved Egypt, I often found myself standing before them, contemplating them, as if they were the true compass of my identity.
Perhaps it is because they belong to the time that shaped me intellectually: my readings in classic Russian literature, existentialist philosophy, and everything related to culture in general, as well as the solitude I found in the studio I built on the rooftop of my family house in the countryside.
Yet what truly binds me to these works is the fact that I did not have to search long for my artistic voice to find them. Instead, they found me spontaneously, carried by the energy of a young artist at the beginning of his artistic journey in the late 1980s.
Did I think then? No. Could I put those works into words? No.
All I knew was that, through color and line, I was building a world stripped of the details of the real world, while a thread still connected it to the small things of that world. No drama, no shouting, no attempt to express a particular meaning or address a specific issue. A world guided only by intuition and my own mathematical calculations.
I am pleased to bring these works to light and share them with you today.
Youssef Limoud
Discover the Exhibition Catalogue
Explore the exhibition in greater depth through the official catalogue, featuring selected artworks and additional insights into the artist’s practice and the exhibition.