Artist Biography

Mohamed Nabil is an Egyptian visual artist and Professor of Graphic Arts based in Alexandria, Egypt. His practice explores geometric abstraction as a means of investigating space, perception, and the relationship between opposing forces. Through carefully constructed compositions, he examines the tension between presence and absence, order and ambiguity, darkness and light, transforming a reduced visual vocabulary into complex spatial experiences.

Trained in graphic arts, Mohamed Nabil holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Minia University, a master's degree in Fine Arts, and a PhD in Fine Arts specialising in Graphic Arts. In 2024, he was appointed Professor of Graphic Arts at Mansoura University, where he also serves as Head of the Graphic Arts Department.

His artistic language is distinguished by structural precision, geometric reduction, and a sustained interest in the boundaries between the visible and the imagined. Working with acrylic and drawing on the formal discipline of graphic arts, he constructs compositions in which lines, geometric fragments, and negative space become active elements in the perception of depth, movement, and light.

Mohamed Nabil has presented his work in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Egypt and internationally. His solo exhibitions include On the Margins of the Orbit at the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art, Cairo Opera House, in 2025, Orbits at El Gezira Arts Center in 2019, and Constructive Forms at Mansoura University in 2016. His international participation includes graphic arts biennales and triennales in France, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Romania, Greece, and other countries.

His distinctions include the Rafea Al-Nasiri Prize for Engraving and Printmaking in 2017 and the Grand Prize at the 18th Youth Salon in 2007. His works are held in institutional collections, including the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the National Museum of Jordan, and the Castello dei Paleologi Museum of Engraving in Italy.

Alongside his artistic practice, Abdel Salam has contributed to contemporary art through university teaching, exhibition curation, and participation on national exhibition juries. His work brings together the analytical rigour of graphic arts and an ongoing investigation into the spatial and conceptual possibilities of abstraction.

Artist Statement

I approach abstraction as a way of thinking about space, perception, and the forces that shape our understanding of the visible world. My work begins with geometry, but geometry is not my final subject. It is a framework through which I investigate the relationships between opposing elements: black and white, positive and negative space, interior and exterior, containment and openness. I am interested in what happens when these oppositions cease to function as separate entities and begin to define one another.

My compositions are constructed through a deliberate reduction of visual elements. Lines, angles, and geometric fragments establish a precise structural order, while their intersections and directional movements introduce tension into the image. I work with the relationship between what is defined and what remains unresolved, allowing the composition to suggest spaces that extend beyond its physical boundaries.

Light is central to this investigation. I understand it not simply as an optical phenomenon, but as something that becomes perceptible through contrast. Darkness gives light its intensity; absence makes presence meaningful. Within my compositions, negative space is therefore not an empty background but an active element that shapes the image and opens it to multiple interpretations.

My background in graphic arts has deeply influenced my approach to construction, balance, and visual economy. I am drawn to the possibility of creating a complex spatial experience through a limited number of carefully considered elements. Working with acrylic, I explore how precision, tonal relationships, and the arrangement of forms can produce a sense of depth and movement without relying on conventional representation.

The relationship between geometry and the cosmos is an important conceptual dimension of my practice. I am fascinated by the idea that structures which appear abstract and self-contained can evoke something immeasurable: an architectural system, an instrument for observing distant worlds, or a fragment of a larger, unknowable order.

I want viewers to experience my work not as a fixed image with a single interpretation, but as a space to be entered visually and intellectually. By moving between structure and ambiguity, my compositions invite reflection on the relationships that govern both the visible world and our perception of it.