DREAMSCAPES I MENNA RIZK - ANAS SHETA
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DREAMSCAPES
Dreamscapes brings together the works of Menna Rizk and Anas Sheta, presenting a dialogue between two artistic practices that explore memory, perception, and the subtle territories where lived experience meets imagination. Though distinct in visual language and conceptual approach, both artists share an interest in what lies beyond the immediately visible—the emotional, psychological, and mnemonic layers that shape how we see and remember the world.
For Menna Rizk explores the relationship between people, places, and the traces left behind through experience and encounter. Her practice reflects on how environments become silent witnesses to human presence, absorbing fragments of memory and emotion over time. Natural and architectural elements—trees, birds, landscapes, and lived spaces—appear as carriers of narrative, suggesting that every place retains echoes of those who have passed through it. Her work unfolds as a poetic mapping of connection and absence, where memory is embedded within the fabric of place itself.
In contrast, Anas Sheta, the human body is a central site of investigation. Working across painting, drawing, and mixed media, he approaches anatomy as a fluid and evolving structure rather than a fixed form. His work is driven by an engagement with the unconscious mind, where memory and emotion surface as visual material through an intuitive and often non-linear process. Forms fragment, reassemble, and shift into new configurations, creating compositions that oscillate between recognition and abstraction. Deeply influenced by his connection to Alexandria, the sea becomes a persistent undercurrent in his visual thinking—not as a literal subject, but as a psychological presence that informs rhythm, depth, and atmosphere within his work.
Together, Sheta and Rizk construct a shared terrain in which memory is both personal and collective, internal and external. While Sheta’s work emerges from the subconscious transformation of the body and its relation to unseen emotional currents, Rizk’s practice traces the imprints of lived experience within environments and landscapes. Their works meet in a space where perception becomes unstable, and meaning is continuously reformed through memory and imagination.
Dreamscapes invites viewers into this shifting field of experience—where bodies dissolve into form, places become repositories of memory, and the boundary between inner vision and external reality begins to blur. The exhibition proposes not fixed answers, but evolving atmospheres in which viewers are encouraged to wander, reflect, and reconstruct their own dreamlike associations.
Rizk says of her works: "These works present a series of allegorical paintings that draw upon folklore, environmental imagery, and collective memory. Through intricate compositions populated by animals, sacred trees, and archetypal figures, the artist examines themes of belonging, continuity, and the relationship between humanity and the natural world. The resulting works offer contemporary myths that resonate across cultures and generations."
Sheta explains his concept as follows; "This experience is rooted in the interaction between the subconscious mind and the surrounding environment. As the forms of environments and the stimuli encountered by the artist varied, the subconscious developed its own interpretations and formulations of these experiences and transformations. The sea, along with the sense of emptiness and vastness associated with it, became one of the most significant stimuli that enabled the artist to discover formal relationships generated by the subconscious mind. A dynamic relationship emerges between chance and intention in the formation of the artwork, resulting in a visual expression that reflects the nature of the interaction between the artist’s spirit and intellect and the transformations that occurred throughout his artistic journey."
Dreamscapes brings together the works of Menna Rizk and Anas Sheta, presenting a dialogue between two artistic practices that explore memory, perception, and the subtle territories where lived experience meets imagination. Though distinct in visual language and conceptual approach, both artists share an interest in what lies beyond the immediately visible—the emotional, psychological, and mnemonic layers that shape how we see and remember the world.
For Menna Rizk explores the relationship between people, places, and the traces left behind through experience and encounter. Her practice reflects on how environments become silent witnesses to human presence, absorbing fragments of memory and emotion over time. Natural and architectural elements—trees, birds, landscapes, and lived spaces—appear as carriers of narrative, suggesting that every place retains echoes of those who have passed through it. Her work unfolds as a poetic mapping of connection and absence, where memory is embedded within the fabric of place itself.
In contrast, Anas Sheta, the human body is a central site of investigation. Working across painting, drawing, and mixed media, he approaches anatomy as a fluid and evolving structure rather than a fixed form. His work is driven by an engagement with the unconscious mind, where memory and emotion surface as visual material through an intuitive and often non-linear process. Forms fragment, reassemble, and shift into new configurations, creating compositions that oscillate between recognition and abstraction. Deeply influenced by his connection to Alexandria, the sea becomes a persistent undercurrent in his visual thinking—not as a literal subject, but as a psychological presence that informs rhythm, depth, and atmosphere within his work.
Together, Sheta and Rizk construct a shared terrain in which memory is both personal and collective, internal and external. While Sheta’s work emerges from the subconscious transformation of the body and its relation to unseen emotional currents, Rizk’s practice traces the imprints of lived experience within environments and landscapes. Their works meet in a space where perception becomes unstable, and meaning is continuously reformed through memory and imagination.
Dreamscapes invites viewers into this shifting field of experience—where bodies dissolve into form, places become repositories of memory, and the boundary between inner vision and external reality begins to blur. The exhibition proposes not fixed answers, but evolving atmospheres in which viewers are encouraged to wander, reflect, and reconstruct their own dreamlike associations.
Rizk says of her works: "These works present a series of allegorical paintings that draw upon folklore, environmental imagery, and collective memory. Through intricate compositions populated by animals, sacred trees, and archetypal figures, the artist examines themes of belonging, continuity, and the relationship between humanity and the natural world. The resulting works offer contemporary myths that resonate across cultures and generations."
Sheta explains his concept as follows; "This experience is rooted in the interaction between the subconscious mind and the surrounding environment. As the forms of environments and the stimuli encountered by the artist varied, the subconscious developed its own interpretations and formulations of these experiences and transformations. The sea, along with the sense of emptiness and vastness associated with it, became one of the most significant stimuli that enabled the artist to discover formal relationships generated by the subconscious mind. A dynamic relationship emerges between chance and intention in the formation of the artwork, resulting in a visual expression that reflects the nature of the interaction between the artist’s spirit and intellect and the transformations that occurred throughout his artistic journey."
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Where is it happening?
8 El Kamel Mohamed Street. Zamalek. Fourth floor. , Cairo, Egypt, 11211
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherArt Talks Egypt
