Footnotes

Provenance:
Property from the Rose Issa collection

Artists:
Shirin Neshat
Ghada Amer
Mona Hatoum
Susan Hefuna
Youssef Chahine
Lara Baladi
Omar Shari
Jananne Al Ani


"When I was a kid, and while watching old Egyptian movies, I used to ask my mother about all the actors, where they all are, and mostly the answer was that they were all dead. It was a strange idea to me to watch and love all these beautiful dead people. I think it did something to my subconscious. Later on in my work when photographing people, I always think of how to make the moment eternal; before they die, or I die."
-Youssef Nabil

Youssef Nabil was born in Cairo in 1972 where he grew up in a city caught in the romance of the golden age cinema of Hollywood on the Nile: a black & white film world in which he recalls the glamour and the elegance of an alternative realm. At a young age, Youssef discovered works by Egyptian-Armenian studio photographer Van Leo who, during the 40s and 50s, took portraits of famous homegrown personalities, ranging from politicians to singers. He met the photographer in 1992 and they remained close friends till Leo's death in 2002, the relationship leaving a profound effect on the artist. In the meanwhile, Youssef went on to work as an apprentice photographer with renowned luminaries David LaChapelle and Mario Testino, which led to a unique training experience and exposure, encouraging his own creative growth. In 2003, Youssef left Egypt and since then has worked primarily from his studios in New York, Miami and Paris.

Youssef's work over the years has come to be identified with his characteristic technique of hand painted silver gelatin photographs, which evoke the feel of the photo-novels and movie posters that accompanied Egyptian cinema more than half a century ago. It is a meticulous and time-consuming process that may take days, and the process combines vintage photographic practices with contemporary compositions and subtexts.