Born In: El Beheira Governorate, Egypt

Lives In: Alexandria, Egypt

Background: A multi-award winning painter and lecturer influenced by ancient Egyptian art and Coptic art.

Primary Themes: Hady Boraey creates a poetic fantasy world where he uses the unknown to highlight the fascination and hope of many young Egyptians to go ‘where the grass is greener’.

In a Few More Words

Hady Boraey was born in Egypt’s coastal El Beheira Governorate in 1984. He now lives and works in the its largest city, Alexandria. He received a Bachelor’s degree (2005), a Master’s degree (2011) and a PhD (2015) from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Alexandria. Despite his age, Boraey has had an illustrious career so far,  with several successful solo exhibitions and participation in over forty group exhibitions in Egypt, Italy, the UK, Switzerland and the UAE. Hady has also received ample recognition, including the Medal of Appreciation from the Bibliotheca Alexandria. His artworks can be found in collections in Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, UAE, Lebanon, and Egypt.

Hady Boraey possesses a distinctive painting technique and a unique aesthetic. He gives life to poetic and dramatic fantasy worlds of what could lie beyond all sorts of borders; the boarders of the earth, those of one’s country or those of one’s imagination. Boraey takes us on an imaginary journey and uses the unknown as a metaphor to highlight the fascination and hope of many young Egyptians to cross the borders of their own country to go settle somewhere ‘where the grass looks greener’.

Hady Boraey offers a symbolic universe inhabited by sculptural figures, birds and cats as influenced by ancient Egyptian art and Coptic art. His two most recurring visuals, the box and the necklace, seem to both suffocate and protect one’s privacy from the outside world. Despite the initial impression of distance and coldness that his subjects convey, they still yearn for a dialogue. They long to share their anxiety, their hopes, and their quest for a better life.

Key Exhibitions

2018 Khalil Gibran, A Guide for Our Times [Group Exhibition], Sotheby’s, London, UK
2018 Hope Is A Traveller [Solo Exhibition], Art Talks, Egypt, Cairo
2014 Beyond Borders [Solo Exhibition], Art Talks, Egypt, Cairo
2013 Solo Exhibition, Abu Dhabi Art Hub, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2011 Biennale de la Mediterranée XV, Thessaloniki, Greece