Hafez Gallery is proud to present Testimony of the Soil, a solo exhibition of renowned Egyptian painter Ibrahim El Dessouki, presented at No.9 Cork St, curated by Dr Sara Raza. The exhibition explores the complex relationship between the land, power and labour through a series of new and recent allegorical paintings inspired by Egypt’s socio-political history, cinema and literature.
Debuting a new series of cotton flower paintings, El Dessouki draws upon Egypt’s Ottoman imperial rule, its later British colonial history and the country’s relationship to agriculture, economy and the fallahin (agricultural laborers) during these pivotal periods of history, as well as their contemporary reverberations. The works are loosely inspired by Youssef Chahine’s acclaimed film Al Ard (1969), which is based on Abdel Rahman al-Sharqawi’s 1930s-set novel, Egyptian Earth (1954), depicting the struggle between working-class peasants and landowners. Meditating on a crucial scene from Al Ard, which is set in a cotton field, this new body of work offers a layered commentary on the history of cotton in Egypt.
Alongside these paintings, El-Dessouki presents three other bodies of work featuring cacti, olive trees and earth paintings. These works explore juxtaposing themes of resilience, nourishment, melancholy, despair and disillusionment, providing a symbolic and layered testimony on the contemporary condition. The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue featuring a curatorial text by Dr Raza. In addition, a compact public program will include curatorial walkthroughs, an in – conversation with the artist and curator, and a special screening of Chahine’s film Al Ard.
Press release from Hafez Gallery
Image: Ibrahim El Dessouki. Fed With Blood. 2025. Oil on canvas. 150 x 110 cm. Image courtesy of Hafez Gallery
