Egyptian art gallery portrays daily life in Cairo

A sense of nostalgia for residents in Cairo as an art gallery that depicts the daily life of a Cairene is opened.

Home to over 18 million people, and known for its bustling streets, Cairo over the years has been a hub for citizens from around the world.

Along the way, several characteristics were cemented in its culture and are identifiable today as being solely Egyptian.

These symbols are on the walls and shelves in the downtown’s Cairopolitan Art Gallery, which also serves as a concept store where the items are sold.

The products were displayed in a gallery to explain the deeper meaning and symbolism behind them.

Ahmed Hefnawy, the gallery’s founder, handpicked items that represent iconic features from day to day life in the megacity.

“The whole idea is in the method. It doesn’t matter which products we make, but what matters is that we include these forgotten but iconic (elements) that are characteristic of Cairo,” he said.

Hefnawy highlighted that the features that are specific to Cairo should be preserved, just as with other major cosmopolitan cities around the world.

Pencil cases designed to look like the staple Egyptian ‘Baladi’ or pita bread, and notebooks with covers of pictures of old bus tickets, can be found in the store.

Shoppers can also purchase a tissue box resembling the country’s traditional red bricks used in building the majority of homes, or candles shaped as the weight scales used in almost every local grocery shop in the country.

“What makes us stand out here is usually lost in the hustle and bustle of the city, so all we did was extract these features from the chaos and turned them into products,” Hefnawy added.

But the founders won’t stop here. They aim to develop and expand their pool of ideas, preserving Egypt’s character even further.