From 2 to 27 March 2022
"The ego is not master in its own house." (Sigmund Freud, 1917, From A Difficulty in the Path of Psycho-Analysis)
In Freudian psychology the ego is what mediates between our primal desires and our social conditioning in a manner that is realistic and socially appropriate, playing a major role in how we show up in the world.
In a series of paintings Lesi explores the questionable side of the ego’s mediation. What happens when the line is blurred between our desire for connection and being seen, and what is socially acceptable?
The characters in Lesi’s paintings are self-absorbed, considering themselves the center of the universe, seeing themselves everywhere and making everything about themselves.
His comically critical paintings are sourced from photographs, which echo a particular visual language and format of images that has become familiar and normalized on social media platforms. In his works, the line between sharing and connecting with others and excessively celebrating oneself has thinned, and images that seem ‘normal’ start to reveal the underlying glitch in this mediation. As a global wave of wellness culture encourages self-love for mental wellbeing, Lesi’s characters challenge the existence of a line at all.
Lesi is an Egyptian artist born in 1995. His work satirically examines pop culture and daily Egyptian life using collage, photomontage and drawing.
Lesi has participated in group exhibitions, competitions and workshops in Cairo Including the Youth Salon, Mohamed Abla Competition, and Naima Bleeds, among others. His work was shown in 2015 at the Supermarket Exhibition in Sweden alongside other Egyptian artists. In 2019, the artist held his first solo at Cairo’s Mashrabia Gallery, titled Please enter my Inner Space.
In Freudian psychology the ego is what mediates between our primal desires and our social conditioning in a manner that is realistic and socially appropriate, playing a major role in how we show up in the world.
In a series of paintings Lesi explores the questionable side of the ego’s mediation. What happens when the line is blurred between our desire for connection and being seen, and what is socially acceptable?
The characters in Lesi’s paintings are self-absorbed, considering themselves the center of the universe, seeing themselves everywhere and making everything about themselves.
His comically critical paintings are sourced from photographs, which echo a particular visual language and format of images that has become familiar and normalized on social media platforms. In his works, the line between sharing and connecting with others and excessively celebrating oneself has thinned, and images that seem ‘normal’ start to reveal the underlying glitch in this mediation. As a global wave of wellness culture encourages self-love for mental wellbeing, Lesi’s characters challenge the existence of a line at all.
Lesi is an Egyptian artist born in 1995. His work satirically examines pop culture and daily Egyptian life using collage, photomontage and drawing.
Lesi has participated in group exhibitions, competitions and workshops in Cairo Including the Youth Salon, Mohamed Abla Competition, and Naima Bleeds, among others. His work was shown in 2015 at the Supermarket Exhibition in Sweden alongside other Egyptian artists. In 2019, the artist held his first solo at Cairo’s Mashrabia Gallery, titled Please enter my Inner Space.
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