Youssef Nabil

Country of Origin: Egypt

Medium(s):

  • Hand-colored gelatin silver photography

  • Film (short films and video art)

Key Themes in His Work:

Youssef Nabil’s artistic practice is characterized by a fusion of photography and painting, exploring themes such as:

  • Nostalgia for the golden age of Egyptian cinema

  • Exile, identity, and the notion of belonging

  • The intersection of personal and collective memory

  • The exploration of life, death, and the afterlife

His compositions often feature hand-colored photographs that evoke a sense of timelessness and dreamlike quality, reflecting on the complexities of cultural identity and personal history.

Notable Exhibitions or Collections His Work Is Part Of:

Solo Exhibitions:

  • “Once Upon a Dream”, Palazzo Grassi, Venice, Italy (2020)

  • “Deep Roots”, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Brussels, Belgium (2017)

  • “I Saved My Belly Dancer”, Pérez Art Museum Miami, USA (2015)

  • “Time of Transformation”, The Third Line Gallery, Dubai, UAE (2013)

  • “Youssef Nabil”, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris, France (2012)

Group Exhibitions:

  • “Light from the Middle East: New Photography”, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK (2012)

  • “The Divine Comedy: Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell Revisited by Contemporary African Artists”, MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany (2014)

  • “Word into Art”, British Museum, London, UK (2006)

Collections:

  • British Museum, London, UK

  • Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), USA

  • Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, UAE

  • Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK

  • Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar

  • Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), USA

Featured collection