Untitled 

Alaa Awad created this untitled painting in 2018 using acrylic on canvas. In it, we see a group of figures on horseback, reminiscent of historical processional imagery, combined with a standing female figure, all rendered in a style that recalls ancient Egyptian art. Awad is an Egyptian artist whose work often draws on the visual language and cultural memory of her home country. The images here create meaning through the mixing of visual codes from different periods of Egyptian history. This is a country whose sense of itself is steeped in a long and complex past and a series of political and social upheavals. Awad’s paintings act as a commentary on the social structures of her own time, referencing a deep well of cultural imagery. Historians and researchers often use a variety of sources, including historical texts, visual culture, and social and political analysis, to understand the meanings and messages embedded in artworks like this. This painting can be interpreted through the lens of Egypt's contemporary socio-political context, examining the role of cultural heritage in shaping identity.