Bieke Depoorter has traveled to Egypt regularly since the beginning of the Egyptian Revolution in 2011. When permitted, she stayed overnight in the homes of Egyptian civilians and families, documenting their lives with an intimacy rarely offered to a stranger. Depoorter aimed to examine the impact that political events were having on individuals by portraying them in their homes-the only spaces not occupied by the riots-where an illusion of normalcy was evident. She continued her project by constructing a book dummy and revisiting the families and individuals photographed, asking them to annotate and comment on the images themselves. The result captures a rare and candid dialogue between photographer and subject, while also exposing Egyptian life and creating a new understanding of the intersection between culture, religion, politics, and privacy in the country. In her first major publication, this Magnum photographer has depicted a population and culture in transition with integrity, commitment, and respect.
About the AuthorBieke Depoorter joined Magnum Photos at the young age of twenty-five and became a full member in 2016. She received a master's degree in photography at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent in 2009. She has won several awards for her documentary projects, including the Magnum Expression Award in 2009. Her previous publications include Ou Menya (2012) and I am about to call it a day (2014). Depoorter is based in Belgium. Ruth Vandewalle is a Belgian journalist and correspondent who has been working with Depoorter since 2011. Vandewalle is based in Cairo, Egypt.
AwardsWinner of Larry Sultan Photography Award 2018 (United States).
Book InformationISBN 9781597114400
Author Bieke DepoorterFormat Hardback
Page Count 62
Imprint AperturePublisher Aperture
Weight(grams) 1170g