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Abstract.
The January 25th 2011 Revolution that interrupted the thirty years long reign of Hosni Mubarak brought about, among social and political changes, a series of transformations pertaining to the cultural panorama of Egypt. Graffiti is one of the cultural practices greatly influenced by the revolutionary context, to the extent that it has come to be regarded as the art of the revolution, a most revealing and trustworthy medium of artistic expression and political participation. As revolutionary Egyptian graffiti began to be scrutinized in academic works under its many aspects, little has been said about its pre-revolutionary journey. This article puts together a brief history of modern Egyptian graffiti analyzing the dynamics that shapes both current and past manifestations within the scope of creating a more detailed perspective, away from the oversimplifying gaze that reduces the practice to its revolutionary dimension or underlines its exoticism.
Rezumat.
Revolutia izbucnita în 25 Ianuarie 2011 în Egipt care a determinat înlaturarea fostului presedinte Hosni Mubarak a a dus cu sine, pe lânga importante schimbari socio-politice, o serie de transformari care au afectat panorama culturala a tarii. Graffiti este una dintre practicile culturale puternic influentate de contextual revolutionar, fiind numita ciliar arta prin excelenta a revolutiei. În timp ce graffiti-ul egiptean revolutionar este subiectul unor abordari stiintifice variate, evolutia sa pre-revolutionara ramâne într-un con de umbra. Prin acest articol dorim sa contribuim la acoperirea acestui gol prin realizare a unei analize a dinamicilor care contribuie la modelarea manifestarilor prezente si trecute, în încercarea de a creea o imagine cât mai detaliata a acestuia, departe de perspectivele care re due practica la dimensiunea sa revolutionara, subliniindu-i, astfel, exotismul.
Keywords.
graffiti, Arab uprisings, Egypt, artistic activism, image politics.
The Importance of Visual Expression in the January 25th Revolution
The study of Egyptian graffiti emerged as a result of the media frenzy accompanying the Arab uprisings since its beginning in Tunisia, at the end of 2010, with news agencies, websites and blogs popularizing what was perceived as an insightful, grassroots, and authentically revolutionary means of expression. Following the media attention, scholarly work came to promptly supply critical perspectives on the Egyptian graffiti production, especially in Cairo2, in addition to a growing number of journalistic articles and essays. Regardless of the...