Street art in the Egyptian Revolution

Egypt's street artists expressed their dissent on Cairo's walls, as thousands of protesters demanded more democratic rights. By Manasi Gopalakrishnan

  • Young women take pictures of themselves standing in front of graffiti-filled walls (photo: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
    A time to hope: it's the beginning of the revolution in 2011 and young Egyptians stick together in the face of former President Hosni Mubarak's oppressive regime
  • A view of the mural on Mohamed Mahmoud street in Cairo (photo: Munir Sayegh)
    Symbol of protests: graffiti artists often painted on the walls in Mohamed Mahmoud Street, the centre of clashes between protesters and security forces in Cairo in 2011
  • A mural showing young men and a slogan in Arabic (photo: Getty Images/AFP/K. Desouki))
    Early days: graffiti made at the outset of the protests has slogans which say, "Revolution is in our veins"
  • Painting of a boy holding a piece of bread (photo: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
    Common woes: another mural by Ammar Abo Bakr, painted at Mohamed Mahmoud Street, shows a tearful boy holding a piece of bread
  • Graffiti on a wall in Cairo shows a young boy on the left, with his eyes closed. Next to him is a woman holding a rose in her hand, followed by the head of a man who appears to be screaming (photo: picture-alliance/dpa/Khaled Elfiqi)
    Victims of the revolution: this mural depicts the brutal beating and murder of Egyptian blogger Khaled Said in 2010
  • This street painting shows Egypt's former ruler Hosni Mubarak, former military chief Mohamed Tantawy and fomer President Mohamed Morsi (photo: Reuters)
    Dwindling hope: this street painting shows Egypt's former ruler Hosni Mubarak, former military chief Mohamed Tantawy and former President Mohamed Morsi. The words in Arabic read, "No, the Brotherhood's Constitution, it's still valid"
  • A street mural showing a wounded boy (photo: picture-alliance/dpa/Khaled Elfiqi)
    Speaking through art: street artists used images like these to communicate their dissatisfaction with the regime and to also create awareness about the plight of ordinary people
  • This painting shows a man with a clown mask holdling ancient Egyptian sceptres of kinship (photo: DW)
    The last pharoah wins: it's 2014, and ousted ruler Hosni Mubarak has been released from prison. Will President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi lose his popularity? This painting shows a man with a clown mask holding ancient Egyptian sceptres of kinship
  • A painting on the Berlin wall (photo: Don Karl)
    'Revolution with neither hope nor despair': this mural by Ammar Abo Bakr was made in Berlin in 2015, following the death of Shaimaa al Sabbagh, an Egyptian poet and activist
  • A mural showing the face of a cat with mice peeping from behind (photo: picture-alliance/AP Photo/N. El-Mofty)
    No space for art: this recent picture that was painted by Polish artist Lukasz Zasadni adorns the walls of a cemetery in Cairo. Street murals are no longer very common in Egypt