Capturing Cairo between the overthrow of Morsi and Mubarak, Bialobrzeski’s images portray daily life in the Egyptian capital at a time of major urban, social and political upheaval and renewal. As silent and tranquil as they are anxious and tense, the images demonstrate Bialobrzeski’s ability to find beauty in chaos. The atmosphere is charged as we, the viewer, are left to contemplate what turn Cairo will take next.
“After just ten minutes of driving at a reasonable speed, the traffic comes to a standstill. I look for signs of the ‘Arab Spring’. Nothing. I notice, however, that people love to use their mobile phones while driving. Is this what Western media are calling the ‘Facebook Revolution’?” – 24th Apr 2013
Cairo Diary was shot between 24 – 29th April 2013
City Diaries is a joint publishing project between The Velvet Cell and German photographer Peter Bialobrzeski. Releasing approximately two books a year, each diary focuses on a single city, somewhere in the world, against the backdrop of a rapidly urbanising world. All books in the series maintain the same size, dimensions and page count.
