Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art is excited to announce its third participation in the 2026 edition of Art Cairo Fair, taking place in Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) from 22 - 26 January.
Our booth will showcase a curated selection of works by artists Xavier Puigmartí, Adel El Siwi, Essam Alaa, Ahmed Yasser, Sarah Zaki, Sabah Naim which will provide insight into our innovative approaches and significant contributions to the contemporary art scene. Committed to fostering young talents, the gallery actively supports emerging artists, offering them a platform to develop and share their unique artistic visions.
Our booth will showcase a curated selection of works by artists Xavier Puigmartí, Adel El Siwi, Essam Alaa, Ahmed Yasser, Sarah Zaki, Sabah Naim which will provide insight into our innovative approaches and significant contributions to the contemporary art scene. Committed to fostering young talents, the gallery actively supports emerging artists, offering them a platform to develop and share their unique artistic visions.
Adel El Siwi
Adel El Siwi, one of Egypt's foremost and highly influential contemporary artists, is renowned for his mastery of monumental faces. His distinctive and deeply personal painting technique, combined with a relentless evolution of narrative skills and an unwavering belief in painting's capacity to give birth to new worlds, gives rise to a body of work that is simultaneously intensely sensual and conceptually lucid—a veritable manifesto of contemporary painting. El Siwi’s colorful large canvases are equipped with a dazzling interior light as if proclaiming a revelation, each telling a full story of its own. El Siwi sets up a fine network of cultured citations drawn from literature, cinema, and art history. Several private collections and museums hold his acquisitions, such as the British Museum in London, UK, The Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi, UAE, the IMA in Paris, France, and Mathaf in Doha, Qatar.
Adel El Siwi, one of Egypt's foremost and highly influential contemporary artists, is renowned for his mastery of monumental faces. His distinctive and deeply personal painting technique, combined with a relentless evolution of narrative skills and an unwavering belief in painting's capacity to give birth to new worlds, gives rise to a body of work that is simultaneously intensely sensual and conceptually lucid—a veritable manifesto of contemporary painting. El Siwi’s colorful large canvases are equipped with a dazzling interior light as if proclaiming a revelation, each telling a full story of its own. El Siwi sets up a fine network of cultured citations drawn from literature, cinema, and art history. Several private collections and museums hold his acquisitions, such as the British Museum in London, UK, The Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi, UAE, the IMA in Paris, France, and Mathaf in Doha, Qatar.
Ahmed Yasser
Ahmed Yasser (b.1997) is an Egyptian artist whose passion for the arts ignited early in his life. Being a self-taught artist, Yasser drew inspiration from a multitude of books and sources. Initially engaged in various non-art-related occupations, he transitioned to a full-time commitment to art approximately five years ago. Since then, Yasser has showcased his works in various exhibitions, notably those hosted by venues such as Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art, Medrar, and Ard Institution.
Ahmed Yasser (b.1997) is an Egyptian artist whose passion for the arts ignited early in his life. Being a self-taught artist, Yasser drew inspiration from a multitude of books and sources. Initially engaged in various non-art-related occupations, he transitioned to a full-time commitment to art approximately five years ago. Since then, Yasser has showcased his works in various exhibitions, notably those hosted by venues such as Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art, Medrar, and Ard Institution.
Essam Alaa
Essam Alaa is a young artist who lives and works between Cairo and France, dividing his time between the vibrant district of Bulaq Dakror, Maadi where he has been painting for more than ten years, and France where he regularly exhibits. He develops a figurative, free, and poetic style. His first exhibition in 2019 in Maadi was a great success, particularly with the French community, followed in 2021 by an exhibition at Mashrabia Gallery. Inspired by Khalil Gibran, he presented a notable project at Mashrabia in 2023. In 2024 and 2025, he took part in group exhibitions at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo and in Cape Town, and also presented his work in France during the summer. His practice is constantly evolving, blending cultural memory and personal reflection, and in 2020 he founded an artistic initiative to support young talents. His paintings explore human emotion with vivid sincerity and poetic depth.
Essam Alaa is a young artist who lives and works between Cairo and France, dividing his time between the vibrant district of Bulaq Dakror, Maadi where he has been painting for more than ten years, and France where he regularly exhibits. He develops a figurative, free, and poetic style. His first exhibition in 2019 in Maadi was a great success, particularly with the French community, followed in 2021 by an exhibition at Mashrabia Gallery. Inspired by Khalil Gibran, he presented a notable project at Mashrabia in 2023. In 2024 and 2025, he took part in group exhibitions at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo and in Cape Town, and also presented his work in France during the summer. His practice is constantly evolving, blending cultural memory and personal reflection, and in 2020 he founded an artistic initiative to support young talents. His paintings explore human emotion with vivid sincerity and poetic depth.
Sabah Naim
Sabah Naim (b. 1967) is a Cairo-based Egyptian artist who graduated from the Faculty of Art Education in 1990 and currently works there as an assistant professor. Her work has been displayed in numerous solo and collective exhibitions. With a unique outlook and a distinct visual language in which it weaves its dialogues, Sabah Naim explores previously uncharted territories. Her work spans a variety of mediums such as fabrics, newspapers, and threads. She also incorporates photography and embroidery into her work, transforming simple materials into rich,
complex, and yet delicate surfaces.
Between 1998 and 2017, she had several significant exhibitions in Egypt, including ones at Townhouse Gallery, Masar Gallery, Karim Francis Gallery, and Safar Khan Gallery. She also exhibited internationally at Lia Rumma Gallery in Italy, Gallery A&B in Switzerland, African Remix, and the British Museum (Word in Art, 2008). Moreover, Naim proudly participated in several noteworthy biennales, including the Alexandria Biennial (2009), the Cairo Biennial (2010), the Havana Biennial (2004), and the Venice Biennale (2003). Additionally, Naim was awarded many artistic grants in Egypt, America, and England. Her works were acquired as part of several private collections as well.
For decades, she offered us surfaces that held more than material: they carried memory, observation, and a spiritual cadence that spoke without declaring. In her delicate yet forceful compositions, everyday elements found new life, newspapers became sculptured, thread a lifeline, and fabric a field of emotion. Her work invited us to look again to listen for the silence between gestures, to read what is often overlooked.
Sabah Naim (b. 1967) is a Cairo-based Egyptian artist who graduated from the Faculty of Art Education in 1990 and currently works there as an assistant professor. Her work has been displayed in numerous solo and collective exhibitions. With a unique outlook and a distinct visual language in which it weaves its dialogues, Sabah Naim explores previously uncharted territories. Her work spans a variety of mediums such as fabrics, newspapers, and threads. She also incorporates photography and embroidery into her work, transforming simple materials into rich,
complex, and yet delicate surfaces.
Between 1998 and 2017, she had several significant exhibitions in Egypt, including ones at Townhouse Gallery, Masar Gallery, Karim Francis Gallery, and Safar Khan Gallery. She also exhibited internationally at Lia Rumma Gallery in Italy, Gallery A&B in Switzerland, African Remix, and the British Museum (Word in Art, 2008). Moreover, Naim proudly participated in several noteworthy biennales, including the Alexandria Biennial (2009), the Cairo Biennial (2010), the Havana Biennial (2004), and the Venice Biennale (2003). Additionally, Naim was awarded many artistic grants in Egypt, America, and England. Her works were acquired as part of several private collections as well.
For decades, she offered us surfaces that held more than material: they carried memory, observation, and a spiritual cadence that spoke without declaring. In her delicate yet forceful compositions, everyday elements found new life, newspapers became sculptured, thread a lifeline, and fabric a field of emotion. Her work invited us to look again to listen for the silence between gestures, to read what is often overlooked.
Sarah Zaki
Sarah Zaki, an Italo-Egyptian visual artist, was born in Pietrasanta, Italy, in 1991 and later moved to Cairo, where she completed her studies in Marketing and International Business. With a lifelong passion for drawing, she pursued formal art education at Accademia di Belle Arti di Carrara, specializing in Painting. Sarah’s artistic explorations extend across various mediums, including photography, sculpture, graphic design, and her favored oil and acrylic painting techniques. Her works predominantly feature female figures and portraits, reflecting the complexities of womanhood. After a 4-year hiatus in Berlin, Sarah finally returned to Cairo in 2022 to focus on her studio practice.
Sarah Zaki, an Italo-Egyptian visual artist, was born in Pietrasanta, Italy, in 1991 and later moved to Cairo, where she completed her studies in Marketing and International Business. With a lifelong passion for drawing, she pursued formal art education at Accademia di Belle Arti di Carrara, specializing in Painting. Sarah’s artistic explorations extend across various mediums, including photography, sculpture, graphic design, and her favored oil and acrylic painting techniques. Her works predominantly feature female figures and portraits, reflecting the complexities of womanhood. After a 4-year hiatus in Berlin, Sarah finally returned to Cairo in 2022 to focus on her studio practice.
Xavier Puigmartí
Xavier Puigmartí lives and works between the Fayoum’s oasis in Egypt and Barcelona (Spain), where he was born in 1952. Fundamentally a painter, his art production also spans audiovisual creation and animation. He has held several exhibitions worldwide, such as in Switzerland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, South Africa and Egypt.
Xavier Puigmartí lives and works between the Fayoum’s oasis in Egypt and Barcelona (Spain), where he was born in 1952. Fundamentally a painter, his art production also spans audiovisual creation and animation. He has held several exhibitions worldwide, such as in Switzerland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, South Africa and Egypt.