Born in Dessouk, Kafr el-Sheikh, Egypt, 1948.

Ashamallah received her BFA from the School of Fine Arts in Alexandria, 1973. After that, she worked as a journalist in Rosa al-Youssef magazine. She started at the same time her art career participating in group shows in Egypt and abroad. She served as the director of the Egyptian Museum for Modern Art (2000-2002) and Nagui Museum (1993 – 1995). Many of her works are part of the acquisitions collection of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture. Ashamallah received the Faust award (Germany - 1992) and the National Egyptian Center for Fine Arts in Rome Scholarship (1994).

Throughout 50 years of her extensive creative career, her work constantly evolved through her experimental and playful spirit. Her work is often based on tales and observations extracted from her personal history. Today, 73 years old, Evelyn presents her 30th solo exhibition at Access Art Space in Downtown Cairo.

Exhibition Statement

My latest body of work comes after a strong wave that I rode between 2015 and 2020. I moved away from my magical figurative style to an illustrative typographic style. My narratives transformed into letters illustrated to reflect my philosophy and history.

After using phrases and small paragraphs as the main elements to illustrate my narrative over the past few years, I go back to figuration – the style I developed since 1985. Now, I freely weave my letters into my figures. Since my childhood, I’ve always believed in these images and this world of freedom. Such belief was extended after my experience as a mother living every moment watching my sons grow up and evolve. They brought so much beauty to my world after I carried them in my womb, and now, I have them in my soul wherever I go.

Here, inside the world I create, humans float in the air, and they roam around beyond earth, carrying flowers and laughing plants.