Held between Italy and Egypt, 'Tale of Two Cities' unites 13 artists across disciplines to explore geography, poetry, and memory through contemporary art, design, and visual storytelling.
From Milan to Alexandria, 'Tale of Two Cities' returns for a second edition with a lineup of 13 Egyptian and Italian artists and designers.
Organised by Art D’Égypte by CulturVator, the exhibition spans two major venues—MA*GA Museum and Fumagalli Gallery in Italy—before heading to Alexandria later this year. With a focus on memory, geography, and artistic legacy, the exhibit weaves together the poetic and the contemporary through painting, photography, sculpture, and design, building on last year's 'Tale of Two Cities' exhibit between Alexandria and Athens, Greece.
Here's a look at the artists shaping this East-West dialogue...
Ahmed Farid (Egypt)
A self-taught abstract painter whose work explores the chaos and vibrancy of urban life. Drawing on a background in marketing and social science, Farid's canvases are layered meditations on identity, conflict, and city life, positioning him as one of Egypt’s most acclaimed contemporary abstractionists.
Jamal Bassiouni (Egypt)
Known for his multimedia works exploring Egyptian beliefs and colour theory, Bassiouni moves seamlessly between painting, sculpture, and installation. His practice often engages ancient symbolism through modern materials.
Hassan Ragab (Egypt)
An architect and generative artist whose studio practice fuses computational design, furniture, and visual art. Ragab’s work engages technology, identity, and form, challenging visual expectations.
Luca Boffi / Alberonero (Italy)
An artist and farmer, Boffi creates large-scale public works rooted in visual perception, landscape, and ecology. His interdisciplinary practice blends art with community and environmental activism.
Giacomo Cossio (Italy)
A painter whose bold works reflect on the apocalyptic conditions of the present. Cossio's visual universe is built on symbolic gestures and charged landscapes, often invoking the human impulse to control nature.
Clarulecis (Italy)
A collective founded by Chiara Lecca, working between Romagna and Sardinia. Their creations combine natural elements with performance, sculpture, and design to revive a primal human-nature relationship.
Luigi Pensa (Italy)
Trained at Central Saint Martins, Pensa’s design work spans furniture, ceramics, and fashion. His pieces reflect a fusion of digital and handmade processes, often layering cultural and religious iconography.
Kahhal 1871 (Egypt)
Kahhal 1871 is one of Egypt’s oldest rug ateliers, now helmed by Mohamed El Kahhal, whose contemporary vision preserves traditional craft while reimagining handmade carpets for luxury interiors.
Ahmad El Sherif / Cotta Design (Egypt)
Founder of Cotta Design, El Sherif creates interiors that balance heritage and modernity. His projects, spanning Egypt and Saudi Arabia, fuse functionality with aesthetic storytelling.
Gamal Meleka (Egypt)
A Cairo-born artist whose early success in Italy helped shape a career grounded in scenography, painting, and cultural symbolism. His work bridges academic technique with emotive expression.
Karim El Hayawan (Egypt)
An interior architect and street photographer whose visual language captures Cairo’s layered architecture and human character. His lens frames the city as a living organism.
Marina Ballo Charmet (Italy)
A major figure in Italian photography, Charmet’s perceptual style explores the “always seen”—the overlooked rhythms of daily life—often shot from a childlike or peripheral point of view.
Stefano Cagol (Italy)
Working across land art, video, and conceptual practice, Cagol investigates environmental and geopolitical themes. His work often explores borders, energy, and the tension between nature and culture.
