Skip to product information
Hay Carriers, original mixed-media work on canvas by Mohamed Abou El Naga
1/6

Hay Carriers

Mohamed Abou El Naga

Egypt, 2013

Mixed media on Canvas, 120 x 170 cm

CHF 8'090.00

+ CHF 1'280.00 shipping, insurance & import duties

About this artwork

A dense mound of hay, its actual straw fiber embedded directly in the surface, separates three robed workers against a background of ornate gold and red paisley fabric, one man's face and headwrap rendered in full photographic detail at center, his companions at left and right reduced to darker, more graphic silhouette. Fine pencil and charcoal lines radiate outward from the hay and figures alike, faint directional marks scattered across the entire surface like a quiet notation system overlaid on the image.

Where the companion work sets its figures against a flat, unbroken field of gold, this canvas replaces that plainness with dense, decorative paisley, the same elevating gesture now carried by ornament rather than open space. The combination of sharp photographic likeness, charcoal's looser hand, and gold's traditional association with the sacred lets the ordinary labor of carrying hay be remembered not as documentary record but as something closer to devotional image, dignity built from the accumulated care of drawing, stitching, and gilding rather than from the scene's own content alone.

Share this artwork

WhatsApp Email
See it on your wall

Actual size: 120 x 170 cm

Your room

Hay Carriers

See it on your wall with your phone

Scan this code with your phone's camera. The painting opens on your wall, at its real size.

For a true-to-size view we recommend an iPhone: it measures the distance to your wall, where Android can only estimate it.

Secure Payment

Your payment is held securely and only released to the artist 3 days after delivery — giving you time to inspect your artwork first.

Insured Shipping

Every artwork is shipped by specialist fine art couriers, fully insured and tracked from the artist's studio to your door.

No Hidden Costs

Shipping, insurance and import duties are shown under the price and again at checkout, before you pay. Nothing further is owed on delivery.

Curated & Verified

Every piece on Nefer is personally reviewed by our team. Only authentic works from verified Middle Eastern artists make it onto the platform.

See how we select artists and artworks

See

More from Mohamed Abou El Naga

Meet

Mohamed Abou El Naga

Portrait of Mohamed Abou El Naga

About the artist

Mohamed Abou El Naga is an Egyptian visual artist and Professor of Art at Cairo University, whose multidisciplinary practice spans more than four decades. Working primarily with handmade paper, mixed media, and large scale installation, he explores memory, place, identity, migration, and cultural heritage.

Producing his own paper from natural fibers and recycled agricultural materials, he transforms everyday materials into poetic visual experiences that connect local tradition with contemporary artistic language. He has exhibited internationally, including representing Egypt at the Venice Biennale, and has also curated exhibitions and led workshops and research projects in contemporary art.

Explore

More artworks like this

Know

Before you buy

Still have a question?

Contact us