Portrait of a Prisoner

Inji Efflatoun was an Egyptian painter who used her artistic practice as a medium for social and political activism. Her work focused largely on the struggles of the Egyptian working class, particularly women, highlighting the hardships of craftsmen, workers, and peasants. In 1959, the Gamal Abdel Nasser regime started detaining people of opposition, and Efflatoun was among the first female prisoners. During her four years of incarceration, from 1959 to 1963, she produced a series of portraits documenting the harsh realities and invisibility of women behind bars. This period is often referred to as the highlight of Efflatoun’s extensive career, offering an insight into her private life.