User:Iveswi01/sandbox

El Zeft is an Egyptian graffiti artist who's work has become a part of the ongoing Egyptian Revolution. El Zeft gained national attention in Egypt for his provocative street art aimed at drawing attention to the brutality of the Mubarak regime. . Zeft's graffiti adds to the creative expression that has become popular during the revolution. Street art has become a popular outlet with which people can freely express their ideas without censorship. El Zeft is joined in his pursuit by other street artists like Alaa Awad and Ammar. Little is known about El Zeft's identity or his background, however he has launched some successful anti-regime campaigns including the Coloringthrucorruption campaign. Zeft and fellow artist, Nazeer, painted walls, water pipes and other public surfaces to draw attention to government.

Style
Unlike other graffiti artists, El Zeft prefers to keep his identity unknown. His style has been called dark, sarcastic, and full of cultural word play.. . He has gained notoriety specifically surrounding this art that calls attention to the importance of female protestors in Egypt. His stencil of Egyptian Queen Neferiti wearing a gasmask has become a symbol of female protestors and is often featured during street protests.. ...

Coloring Thru Corruption
El Zeft's Coloringthrucorruption campaign attracted widespread attention throughout Egypt. When asked about the #coloringthrucorruption campaign, Nazeer stated "We are not painting to make life pretty - on the contrary this is our way of drawing attention to the reality of the situation: the government is stealing your money."

Neferiti
Zeft's previous campaigns include the "Nefertiti" mask campaign that was endorsed by anti-sexual harassment campaigns.... Nefrertit refers to an ancient Egyptian Queen, the portrait is of her with a gas mask concealing much of her face. The gas mask is clearly a reference to the police's continued use of tear gas against innocent protestors. It's a very powerful image that pays tribute to the women of the revolution. Zeft posted the image with a message, "A tribute to all women in our beloved revolution...without you we wouldn't have gotten this far. Thank you.... > "El Zeft represents another facet of a growing movement of creativity as a form of protest in Egypt. The act of spray painting a wall is illegal in most countries and certainly is in Egypt, therefore it serves as a direct and very public challenge to authority. Adding to the legitimacy of Zeft's art is that it's very often painted over by the regime. The act of painting over the existing art strengthens the message.