Hikayat

Nour Elbery

e3lanaat, digital media.

These are the rural women of Egypt around whom Elbery grew up. The illustrations tend to have a colorful and vibrant aura which draws the viewer in to absorb the setting of the drawing and read the speech bubbles or calligraphy added to explain the drawing. The speech bubbles or put light on culturally driven traditions and viewpoints that hinder the empowerment of women in Egypt (and the Middle East in general).

 Elbery discusses subjects ranging from the seeming importance for women in the Arab world to marry in contrast to men and to the normal, but unspoken, traditions that families still carry forward. All the characters in Elbery’s illustrations are fictional; however, they are inspired by her family home and hometown. She also experiments daily with new subjects and viewpoints that inspire a new light in her, such as in her “Chipseyat Masr” series and her “Kabreet” series. The subjects discussed are all things that the artist has experienced. By drawing about these experiences, Elbery observes and foments a discussion about the societal changes that need to occur into to create a comfortable place for women of the coming generations.

Nour Elbery is an Egyptian 19-year-old architecture student at American University of Sharjah (in the United Arab Emirates) who dedicates her free time to making witty illustrations and short animations about the day to day lives of women in the Egypt.