Hady Boraey lives in a vertigo. Unafraid of the blank page, he stands steadfast against a facile happiness and a deceiving illusion. His imaginary journey of what could lie beyond persists and wins. He seems to want to conquer the world and fill that void, by testing the limits of his mind. Torn between the Wilderness and the Shadow, you find him Waiting at the Gate or at the Border; under the Grey Cloud or a Summer Rain. The Silence of the City awakens the Migrant. As he carries the weight of the Unknown, he madly wanders. And far away from home, he navigated. He has a story to tell. Once upon a time, he got lost and got back.
In “Beyond Borders”, Boraey takes us on an imaginary journey of what could lie beyond the borders of the earth, of one’s home and of one’s mind. With a distinctive painting technique and a thrilling imagination, Boraey has created a poetic and dramatic world of fantasy depicting the illusion of a better life, by simply crossing the borders – physically or psychologically. He uses the temptation of the unknown as a metaphor to highlight the fascination and hope of many young Egyptians to cross the borders of their own country to go settle somewhere ‘where the grass looks greener’. Ultimately, the unknown doesn’t necessarily mean far away lands, but is rather a symbol of the relentless pursuit of happiness and the persistence of our youth to belong and dream of a better life. Born in Beheira in 1984, Hady Boraey lives and works in Alexandria, Egypt. He received a BFA (2005), MFA (2011) from the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Alexandria, with highest honors.