Even before the onset of the Arab Uprising, Egypt was about to enter a transitional phase at one time or the other. People of this country have had enough of despair and letdowns in their lives. They were fed up with the Mubarak regime. They wanted it to go as soon as possible so that their lives couldn't be getting severely ruined for good. But the role that the Arab Uprising played here is indisputably far bigger and the one which united everybody across the region. At the same time, let's not forget the massive contributions made by its graffiti artists who gave their heart and soul to throw Mubarak out of power. One such graffiti icon of a changing Egypt now is a renowned female street artist named Aya Tarek. She was already a star when it came to drawing explicitly provocative art with spray cans and stencils on the walls in her hometown. Aya, 22, was born in Alexandria in the late 1980s. This beautiful city, which is located on the Mediterranean Sea plus gifted with exemplary heritage, is best known as a hub of great writers, artists and activists who have long been fascinated by its tranquil environment. She is currently pursuing B.A. at Faculty of Fine Arts College here. But just like everybody else in Egypt, she had a big responsibility at hand to ensure that its shadowy past never returns to the shore. “The risks for street artists like us were too high to take as our family members were equally standing on the verge of being targeted. In a way, the government had complete control over our way of life. It was quite suffocating, “she says. Letting her voice be heard through art She came from a family where art was greatly worshipped and considered as the most wonderful gateway to living life ‘not in submission' but with one's head held high all the time. “I was brought up under the influence of my grandfather. He was Egypt's most legendary movie poster artist. While he worked in his studio, I used to sit there and observe his technique. Slowly and slowly, this whole thing got over me and I realized without more ado that this is what I also wanted to do-be like him one day, “she says. Being privileged to know about art at an early age, it was a bonus-point for Aya Tarek and only a matter of time before she would also be displaying her canvas-like magic on the concrete structures. “I started street art four years ago along with few of my friends. We made stencils that touched upon the very social and cultural frames of our country, “she says. “Later, as I was growing up, I realized that women were extremely marginalized in my society. I was shocked to come to know about the maltreatment of women behind closed doors. Then, we made up our mind to talk about issues relating to women's hardships. Sexual harassment is another grisly aspect of Egyptian society which I want to bring to an end.” Looking at her work, it's clear that she is a broad-minded artist. She likes to experiment. “At times, I try to scrutinize the complexity of urban lifestyle through my work. Then, there are minority issues which I think must be addressed and I am proud to be doing so, “she says. “I am a big enthusiastic learner and so my aim is to always find newer means to get to the bottom of the issues. That's why I trade in several genres like graphics art, murals, mixed media and video animations to bring in changes in different and exciting ways.” Moreover, she also makes efforts to exterminate the differences that have widened between the so-called private and public space. “I keep looking for great sites to make stencils and showcase the contradiction between these two spaces so that the society remains cohesive rather than wide-apart, “she says. As she was getting recognition from the outside for her daring work, another exciting moment for art aficionados all over Egypt came when she was recently invited to Frankfurt, Germany to participate in a graffiti show titled as “Art for Change: Arabic Graffiti & Egyptian Street Art.” “It was quite amazing to be there and work along with so many artists. It was a unique chance to promote what Egypt is all about as well as a unique chance to get familiar with different cultures, “she says. Not only this, she acted in a movie called “Microphone” back in 2011 which was directed by Ahmad Abdallah, Egypt's highly controversial filmmaker. The movie traced back the underground history of art proliferation in Alexandria. Post-Mubarak, art makes a solid comeback When Mubarak was in power, there was no scope for art to blossom. The artists were barred from doing anything that was critical of his authority. It was all dark and gloomy. “We were really censored in one way or the other. We were fearful of being picked up and beaten by the state police for expressing our feelings. This constrained our creativity to work freely. As a result, we had to come up with drawings which were acceptable in the eyes of him,“ she says. In fact, the fear of being gunned down also haunted artists like Aya Tarek. “We were unsure what the next harsh step might be taken by the authority. We were fearful about being shot at right on the spot by his loyal troops or taken into custody for prosecution. Thanks to the Almighty, I haven't been through such a terrible situation so far, “she says. Even bad times come to an end. Mubarak's removal was indicative of a new era Egypt is going to join. “The moment he was gone from the political scene, Egyptians became extremely jubilant and relaxed. They started to come outside and shout in disbelief at what had happened. More importantly, the huge stream of artists who were afraid earlier to make their views heard were now out in the street spray-painting the walls to express what was in their heart, “she says. “No doubt we have more freedom now to talk about relevant subjects. We have more power to draw our imagination. It's certainly easy today by all means.” Asked why she chose graffiti in the first place, she said gleefully, “Graffiti art is a voice of the voiceless. It is very much close to the realities people live in. There's nothing ostentatious about it as is the case with galleries where only the privileged go and have fun. My mission is to make sure that art is accessible to all alike.” She also added that her work was banned from galleries as it was non-conforming in nature. The other problem, according to her, is that people in Egypt have pre-judgment about everything and they never doubt it. Likewise, the art communities are much more into the capitalist way of thinking. It's sad that people are more into the shallow sides of life. “Even in making independent art, they try to make it pop. It's not all of them but mostly.” Her hope for the future She certainly wants it to be bright. “The street art is completely disorganized at the moment. I want to make it organized so that people have a proper tool at hand to put across their thoughts publicly, “she says. “I am totally committed to working on these goals as long as I am alive.” The road ahead is still rocky. Changes will take some time. As Aya Tarek says cautiously, “There are still some segments prevailing here and there inside the country which maintain a policy of neo-conservatism against what they refer to as highly immoral. They look down upon graffiti and see it as un-Islamic especially women showing interest in this art form. Not to forget, the military still has the clout on day-to-day life.”
