Youssef Nabil (Egyptian, b. 1972)

Ehsan Crying, Cairo, 1997 with its signature opulent and varied palette, is an emotionally alluring example from the celebrated Cinema series by Youssef Nabil. Constituting the earliest of three unique, but interconnected, series of hand-coloured photographs he has been developing, Ehsan Crying pays homage to the glamour of classical 1950s, 60s and 70s Egyptian films that mesmerised the artist as a child. Characterised by Nabil's richly staged mise-en-scéne, he colours each of his prints by hand, imparting a sense that he is intrinsically linked to each piece. Nabil's works are and are not simultaneously, images of our present time.