The Crying Man (memorial), 2001-2015

Wood, mirror, vinyl, archived online found image and a caption

Proposal for an object that can operate as a memorial displayed in the entrances of middle-class houses in Cairo, commemorating a group of 52 happy young men dancing on a floating structure in Zamalek

Image: self-portrait by Cairo Observer @elmoshahed with the piece. #cairoobserver #gypsymgallerycairo #nilesunsetannex #mahmoudkhaled #WAYDO

"There is little aura of nostalgia or symbolism, no explicit trace of history or place, with the exception of Mahmoud’s Khaled’s The Crying Man, a subtle critique of the hypocrisy of the bourgeois materialized in an old-fashioned piece of furniture, which refers to the infamous "Queen Boat incident"" (On May 11, 2001, the Egyptian police raided a floating gay night club on the Nile called the Queen Boat. 52 men were arrested and accused of offending religion and practicing debauchery.) By Laura Cugusi- Published on NAFAS **