The title I will defend myself derives from the third phase of a series of works Nadia Mounier has been working on since early 2016 and in which the artist uses and restages images from the past to talk about the present. Besides works from the currently still ongoing third phase, this first solo exhibition of the artist also contains works from the previous phases entitled She said: I swear I saw a light coming out of the side of my eyes andWas that really you?.

The series engages with the question of representation of women in photographic images produced and circulated in the Arab region and their varying social status and use. In her work the artist is particularly interested in images that do not primarily form part of artistic image production such as private image archives, stock photography, illustrations in books, magazines, images from photo studios or used on the packaging of products.

Nadia Mounier’s work looks closely at how the practice of masking over, erasing or covering up body parts allows images to cross over into different contexts and other modes of dissemination while partially disappearing in the process. Located on the border between the private and the public, the artist’s interventions also reflect on the aesthetics of image editing software and the role of the artist vis-a-vis the image editors and admins active on blogs and other social media platforms.


Nadia Mounier is a visual artist interested in photography and image theory. Mounier completed her BA in Applied Arts at Helwan University in 2010 and was part of the 2016 MASS programme for Contemporary Arts in Alexandria. Her work is concerned with the circulation of images between private and public contexts and their effect on our self perception. Beyond digital and analogue collages and set-up photography she also practices street and documentary photography. Mounier participated in a number of local and international exhibitions and festivals and is part of various collectives interested in the city and image production, amongst them “Cairo Bats”. Mounier currently lives and works between Alexandria and Cairo.