Mohamed Ismail Shawki ( Ismail) is a Cairo-based visual artist working at the intersection of art, activism, and public space. A graduate of Egypt’s High Institute of Cinema and co-founder of the street art collective Mona Lisa Brigades, he employs sculpture and installation to interrogate urban life, power structures, and neglected infrastructure.

His practice recontextualizes everyday objects—such as street barriers—with humor and criticality, exposing themes of authoritarian urban planning, systemic neglect, and societal shame. By merging research, collaboration, and artistic intervention, he challenges spatial politics and amplifies marginalized voices.