 | Rachid Koraichi was born on 20 January 1947 in Ain Beida, Algeria. Koraichi comes from a Sufi family from Algeria, and his art is often framed within a tradition of Sufi spirituality in which aesthetics and metaphysics are intertwined. Drawing from Arabic calligraphy, Koraichi has created in some ways his own script or graphic language that includes Amazighi and Tuareg letters and mystical symbols. This calligraphy is sometimes legible but often is abstracted with thick repetitions, becoming signs or figures. His work ranges from mystical, abstract works to direct political commentary in dialogue with revolutionary and liberation movements, as in a number of works supporting Palestine and the Palestinian people. Koraichi's diverse oeuvre encompasses a wide range of artistic expression, from intimate prints to large-scale banners and installations. He works in varied media, including printmaking, paint, ceramics, and textiles.
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 | Youssef Kamel, born on 26 May 1891 in Cairo, Egypt, is one of the leading painters of a generation of Egyptian artists known as the "pioneers" (ar-ruwwād). He was among the first students to attend the School of Fine Arts in Cairo, where he graduated in 1911. In 1925 he received a scholarship to study in Rome. On his return to Egypt in 1929, he was appointed professor at the School of Fine Arts in Cairo until he became the head of its Painting Department in 1937. He directed the Museum of Egyptian Modern Art from 1948 to 1949 until he was named director of the School of Fine Arts in Cairo between 1950 and 1953. Kamel is renowned for his impressionist landscapes of the Egyptian countryside and views of medieval Cairo. Kamel died on 12 December 1971, in Cairo, Egypt.
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