Mona Elkateb is a visual artist based in Cairo, Egypt. She experiments with a range of mediums, including digital illustration and acrylic painting. She is keen to explore the role of digital art in supporting various social causes online, in particular since the online revolution sparked by women in July 2020. Her artwork often explores the themes of sisterhood and solidarity, as well as the various ways in which women may exist, take up space, or shift societal boundaries.

Her latest exhibition, ‘Teh Mesh Marbouta’ was a twist loosely translating to “untied”, specifically referring to a letter in the Arabic alphabet which is used to identify the feminine form of a word. The exhibition explored a range of visual expressions of female cultural symbols, namely the womb, the Arabic word for which (rahem) has etymological links to the words for “mercy” and “compassion”. The collection was an attempt to speak to the ancient reverence of the female while dismantling the various systems of gender inequality and the cultural narratives associated with it.