Friday March 29th, 2024
Download SceneNow app

Egyptian Photographer Youssef Sherif Explores Desire in the Digital Age (ft. a Giant Chicken)

Based in Cairo and specializing in fashion photography, Youssef Sherif new shoot 'Dinner for One' explores our growing impatience in the midst of a digital world. And what better way to convey that than with a giant chicken.

Staff Writer

His work has been featured on Vogue Italia’s photography platform PhotoVogue, Italian contemporary photography platform PHmuseum, Dubai JDEED magazine and Mille World on account of his unique contemporary style. But to really look into the core of photographer Youssef Sherif’s aesthetic of translating his own personal thoughts, emotions, fears and experiences through his photography, you may want to check out his new abstract project ‘Dinner for One’. Based in Cairo and specializing in fashion photography, Sherif uses the shoot to explore our growing impatience in the midst of a digital world of consumption and dissatisfaction.


‘Dinner for One’ features a young woman modelled by UNN Models’ Sherouk Farid and styled by Maha Hamada on a rendezvous with a chicken - or rather, a man dressed as one. Produced by Ahmed Lasheen, the shoot follows a woman who dreams up a fantasy date after being dissatisfied with her actual date. To drive this thirst for romance home, Sherif chose to go with black and white photos, to mirror the romantic atmosphere found in Classic Hollywood films.


“The woman in the photos in large part lives in her own universe, with the chicken representing a partner who simply does not exist, very much mirroring her chase of unattainable perfection,” Sherif tells CairoScene. “The reason why I chose the imagery of the chicken in particular is because I’ve always believed they possess a sort of regal quality not found in other species, and personally because I have a fear of birds."


Expanding on the metaphor, Sherif adds, "When we see her eating fried chicken, it could be interpreted to reflect this age of consumption, where we proverbially eat our partners and then move on to the next one.” Ghastly. But perhaps, more appropriate than we'd like to admit.