Thousands of photos were taken by Australians passing through Egypt en route to the First World War, one hundred years ago. What stories can these long forgotten photographs tell?
Usually they tell stories of military history or the lives of individual Australians. Yet they could be used to tell different stories. Anne-Marie Willis, who lived in Egypt for several years and recently returned to Australia, has found some extraordinary photos of Egypt from the National Library of Australia, the Australian War Memorial and other public collections.
The exhibition she has curated shows places that have become invisible as Cairo has grown, such as the Delta Barrage Bridges or Baron Empain Palace surrounded by sand dunes
Other photos show the effects of the First World War on Egypt, with a vast military camp in front of the pyramids, and thousands of Egyptian men recruited to support the British war effort. And then there are the tranquil scenes recorded by an Australian nurse, that tell a story which is not at all tranquil.
“Egyptian Images from Australia” is supported by the Australian Government through the Council for Australian-Arab Relations of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Cairo
Palace of Amir Taz
15 - 28 Feb 2019
Alexandria
Museum of Fine Arts
5 - 14 March 2019
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Australian Embassy Egypt.
