Youssef Nabil, I Saved My Belly Dancer, 2015

I Saved My Belly Dancer (2015) is a sumptuous meditation on the disappearance of the Middle Eastern artform of belly dancing. Featuring actors Salma Hayek and Tahar Rahim, the 12-minute video is visually inspired by the 1950s golden age of Egyptian cinema. Nabil’s hypnotic allegory draws out the tension between Egyptian cultural traditions and changing ideological circumstances, from rising conservative religious sentiments to the increasing objectification of women in commercial imagery.

YOUSSEF NABIL. I Saved My Belly Dancer, 2015. Cast: Salma Hayek and Tahar Rahim. Digital color video, with sound, 12 min., 48 sec. Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, museum purchase with funds provided by Joan Weberman. © Youssef Nabil. Courtesy of the artist.