Illustration
The Soulful Strokes!
From proverbs to music, Amira Tanany blends history and storytelling in her art, keeping Egyptian heritage alive in the modern world.
Can you share your journey as an artist? What sparked your passion for Egyptian folklore and turath, and how has this shaped your artistic identity?
From childhood, I’ve seen art everywhere. I chose the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo and excelled in graphics and illustrations, eventually becoming an associate professor. Yet, my academic path didn’t stop me from pursuing my dreams as an illustrator. I sought to deepen my passion for art and embrace my identity shaped by my culture.
Inspired by the simplicity of street life, rural songs, and folk tales like “Abu Zaid al-Hilali,” I’ve aimed to showcase this beauty from my perspective, reflecting the Egyptian heart. Thus, I launched my illustration project, “Egyptian Street,” which won the Mahmoud Kahil Award in 2024 for the ninth time. It celebrates Egyptian culture through folkloric tales, music, dances, and proverbs, using surreal illustrations with botanical and human symbols.
Egyptian folk music is integral to our Turath. It embodies the people’s voice, preserving our cultural heritage and collective memory. This foundation of artistic creativity enriches the present while grounding society in its past as it confidently strides toward the future.
Art has always been vital in Egyptian culture. How do you view current support for artists in Egypt? What unique challenges or opportunities affect how art is created and shared today?
Egypt actively sponsors artists through various initiatives, including events that encourage artistic participation and annual exhibitions, particularly aimed at young creators. However, artists face numerous challenges, stemming from constant changes in both society and their artistic vision. The key is how they confront these challenges to continue expressing and sharing their work with the world, showcasing the beauty of Egyptian society and its rich culture.
Your work beautifully incorporates cultural and architectural elements of Egyptian heritage. How do you balance staying rooted in tradition while experimenting with contemporary design techniques?
There is an artistic saying, “You have to know the rules to break them.” So after studying the traditions, poems, folk motifs and life on the Egyptian street and seeing them constantly, I wanted to present them to the world in a contemporary way, but carrying within them the same origins and spirit. My designs can visually express this folklore which centres on human figures, with the occasional inclusion of symbols or motifs such as a fish, bread, mandarin, Jasmin flowers, a cup of tea and the Rosary. Depending on the vibrant and loud colours simulating Egyptian street life and the folkloric vision, while using the woodcarving style in the illustrations.
You’ve mentioned that your culture defines your artistic identity. Can you share how specific cultural symbols, like fish or bread, influence your storytelling?
Egyptian proverbs and folk songs always contain some words and symbols that symbolise an idea or a person, such as there is a famous rural folk song in Egypt that farmers used to sing at the time of the tangerine harvest, and it later became sung at rural weddings, and from that the tangerine became a symbol of the bride. There is also a popular proverb that says:
(Give baking bread to a good baker) and it means that hire only people you trust to do the job right. It also symbolises abundant goodness and livelihood. Also, the fish symbolises fertility. So, there are many wonderful Egyptian folk songs and proverbs that have more symbols.
