This exhibition is a new chapter in the series of works using floral allusions that I started almost ten years ago. Even though the foliage reference is the same and I start from the same premise that a painting’s philosophical and theoretical content is to be totally reflected and transmitted by its materiality, yet feelings, intellect, and temperament — the determining factors behind the technical choices of the artist — are in constant mutation. I do not do any planning before embarking on a new work, as I believe it should flow from within, or better yet, grow out of the canvas and have a life of its own. I like the surprise and discovery parts of the process, the unpredictability, and the thrill of not knowing what I am about to achieve. I seek a different adventure with every new painting, and there is no ready-made solution that fits them all. I keep adding and subtracting, solving riddles, and avoiding catastrophes while elucidating my aesthetic message as it is unraveled on the surface of the canvas. I often revise and frequently destroy, and although I do not start with a composition, I end up with one. Never in a hurry, I thus continue painting until I reach a particular balance that genuinely defines me.

About the Artist

Nazli Madkour was born in Cairo where she lives and works. She received her master’s Degree in Political Economy from the American University in Cairo. In 1981 she resigned from her post of Economic Expert at the Industrial Development Centre for Arab States (Arab League, Cairo) to concentrate on art. She held over 40 solo exhibitions. she also took part in several group exhibitions in Egypt, Portugal, Germany, Italy, France, Lebanon, Sharjah, Kuwait, Greece, Japan, the UK, and the USA. Madkour participated in the Sharjah International Biennales and the Cairo International Biennale of 1998. She took part in the second international Symposium of Sanart, Ankara, Turkey, in May 1995.