ABSTRACT
In his series The New Gods, visual artist Omar Houssien interpreted ancient gods from the Egyptian pantheon with a twist. By incorporating elements from contemporary consumer society and popular culture, he offered additional symbology and critical readings of post–Arab Spring society. In this collaborative chapter by Houssien and art historian Srđan Tunić, the goal is to provide the first written analysis of this work by looking into the post–Arab Spring sociopolitical context, the (neo)Pharaonic art and culture movement in Egypt, the presence of ancient deities in popular culture, fantasy literature, and the growing field of Arabfuturism, and identity search.
