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Born in Egypt in 1990, Esraa Zidan has developed a distinct visual language centered around women and the human body. From the beginning, her work focused on one subject: women. The body, in her practice, was never approached as big or small, but as a space beyond judgment, moving away from ideas of body shaming and fixed standards of beauty.
Her earlier works are known for their vivid, colorful compositions, where women appear joyful, at ease, and fully present within their own worlds. These bodies became a way of writing her own visual diaries, capturing moments, emotions, and states that are both personal and shared.
A graduate of the Faculty of Applied Arts in 2012, Zidan obtained her master’s degree in Human Anatomy for Artists in 2016, and in 2021 she received her PhD on unusual body proportions. She also worked as an assistant lecturer at Helwan University, where she taught human anatomy, art marketing, and branding, and continues to lead workshops within and outside Egypt.
Over time, her focus shifted. The body is no longer just a visual presence, but becomes a carrier of emotions. Changes in proportions and distortion emerge not as stylistic decisions, but as a way to express internal states.
Since her first solo exhibition, The Neighbors of the Rainbow at Azad Gallery in 2018, Zidan has participated in numerous exhibitions locally and internationally, including in Egypt and the UAE and Lebanon
