Cairo’s Plaster Casts

The stucco workshops of Cairo blur the lines between atelier, showroom, and artistic statement. Their facades and interior walls are adorned with patterns that double as catalogs of ornate designs, where the decorative systems of the Belle Époque collide with pop culture icons—acanthus leaves meet Mickey Mouse—in a striking visual collage.

Cairo’s Plaster Casts showcases Luc Merx’s photographs of these now-vanished spaces, revealing their unique aesthetic, with ties to Egypt’s colonial past, modernity, and identity. Accompanied by essays on their historical and social context, this book offers a fascinating glimpse into the rich intersection of craft, design, and cultural history.

With contributions by Matthias Castorph, Federico Garrido, Holger Gladys, Christian Holl, Luc Merx, Werner Oechslin, Christian Rabl, Rolf Sachsse, Heiner Stengel, Francesca Torello, Dalia Wahdan, Gijs Wallis-de-Vries, Holger Zinke.

Photos: Luc Merx
Design: Something Fantastic