“Chaotopia” is the fourth solo exhibition by Nur Elgalaly, one of the youngest artists on the scene. A 2023 graduate of the Faculty of Art Education, he started exhibiting while studying. At 27, Elgalaly dedicates his full time to art. “I am my own manager, I manage my time and resources. There are so many brilliant artists out there, the important thing is how to invest in your talent.”
The new show opened on 30 September and runs till 23 October at the Cairo Art Gallery in Zamalek, and consists of 19 oil on canvas conceptual paintings in medium and large sizes. In a deeply sarcastic way, it examines the effect of the absence of order in a busy, chaotic city like Cairo.
Here the famous cartoon character Tweety is in charge of imposing order, but he is often reluctant and more interested in relaxing. We see him sipping tea on the edge of a bridge, or at an empty cafe, or crossing his legs on top of a moving bus as he watches life from the skyline. The scene is full of other animal figures – cows, pigs, cats – which can be distracting, but it is in line with the theme. Chaos is well defined by the juxtaposition of different creatures and locations, for example the Pyramids and the flooding river come together in a funny way.
Elgalaly is currently working on his MA on new media, focusing on virtual reality techniques, at the same faculty. A great part of his inspiration are animation movies such as the Marvel films. His second source of inspiration are from the streets of Cairo. Born and raised between Al-Sayyeda Zeinab and Nasr City neighborhoods, both famous for their 24/7 chaos busyness, the artist is attuned to the pulse of the city. “My studio now is in the Maspero towers downtown, opposite the popular Wekalet Al-Balah market, so I wake up every morning hearing that hustle and bustle, and I watch the chaos of colours of second-hand clothes on sale, and it shows in the paintings,” he smiled.
Visual sarcasm is a skill he developed through his passion for caricature and animation. “As a child, my favourite outing was the zoo. I’ve developed a fantasy vision of animals and their daily routine since then. I’ve learned that each animal has special psychological and physical characteristics.” In his surrealist and pop art work, animals represent a major part of the scene. His debut exhibition, “Survival Instinct”, held at the Opera’s Musical Library in 2021, depicted animals’ survival tactics.
In his second solo exhibition, “El-Mino Minotaur”, held at the Salah Taher Hall at the Opera House in 2022, Elgalaly worked with the idea of a creature with the body of a man with the head of a bull. “I imagined that with the succession of generations, he had a grandson named El-Mino Minotaur who combined the imperfections of both creatures. I thought it was something many people encountered in real life.”
“Sarcastic Facts”, his third exhibition, held last year at Midrar art space, was in the same vein. The current exhibition is inspired primarily by the artist’s fascination with movement, evident in almost all his previous work. The concept of the collection revolves around chaos in the streets, which follows an invisible and incomprehensible order. The scenes depicted include the Giza Plateau, Talaat Harb Square in Downtown Cairo and some spots in Alexandria.
The term “chaotopia” doesn’t refer to Utopia or Dystopia, it was first coined by the late English painter Austen Osman Spare to refer to the chaos of the normal. “I chose Tweety due to his popularity among all age groups and for his unique shape and colour: yellow attracts the eye. Tweety was not that significant for me. Actually I care more about the concept.”
For the opening, there was a man dressed as Tweety who moved around the gallery rooms, interacting with viewers. The artist wanted to stress the value of interaction between the main character and the audience, who smiled back and took pictures. The choice of such a fragile figure to impose order is both clever and amusing.
The artist’s paintings celebrate life in popular places. For example, work by veteran artists Salah Anani, which celebrate life in Cairo’s traditional neighbourhoods, is weighed with cultural and social concepts. Elgalaly’s approach is less serious. “It is important for me to reflect my Egyptian identity, but in an honest way. I mean in a way that reflect my own knowledge and rhythm, not the older generations’ views of Egyptian culture.”
His work combines strict planning with free association. The precision and energy of the pieces would not be possible without sketching and adhering to a plan. A prolific artist, Elgalaly has the ability to control painting on both very small and larger- than-life canvases. “I am eager to depict movement in the paintings,” he says. “I want the painting to look like a buzzing scene, a stage for events and not just a static picture.”
A conceptual artist at heart, he believes there should be a balance between technique and concept. “If the artwork is devoid of a concept, the technique should be perfect. For me, the concept is what matters most. I aspire to explore the world of animation and short films in a way that is in line with painting, but it requires a study of cinematic tools, and I am not sure I have the time for that.”
Elgalaly’s upcoming collection will be connected with his current research into virtual reality and art.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 23 October, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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