Writing on the Wall

This workshop critically examines the multifaceted role of urban and street art—including murals, graffiti, and site-specific interventions—as powerful tools for navigating and reimagining contemporary urban space. Through a theoretical lens, we will explore how these visual practices engage local narratives, mark presence, and reclaim overlooked or contested areas, drawing insights from diverse examples. The workshop emphasizes critical analysis and discussion, culminating in theoretical frameworks and conceptual proposals rather than physical art creation. We will delve into the historical, social, and political contexts that shape these art forms and their impact on public interfaces.

Instructor

Agnes Michalczyk is a Polish-Austrian visual artist and educator living and working in Cairo. Graduated from the Academy of Visual Arts in Leipzig where she studied painting and printmaking she teaches at the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Arts at the German University in Cairo. Her work explores the urban space of Cairo through a female perspective focusing on the city and its narratives, real or imagined. She works in a variety of media, painting, drawing, and collage, between 2012-2016 mainly focusing on Street Art and since 2014 increasingly incorporating New Media in her practice contributing to different art projects in Cairo and abroad. Agnes is currently pursuing her doctoral research on immersive media and heritage in historic Cairo at Freie Universität Berlin and The University of Edinburgh.