Poorly Made: About the Exhibition

Poorly Made is an artistic exploration of nostalgia, consumerism, and disappointment through the lens of Egypt’s bustling toy street markets. Over three years, artist Ali Hassaan documented these chaotic spaces—filled with brightly colored yet cheaply made plastic toys, the cries of eager children, and the relentless calls of street vendors.

Hassaan integrates these fragile, mass-produced objects into his paintings, evoking the fleeting joy and inevitable heartbreak they bring. The exhibition reflects on childhood desires, societal illusions, and the scars left by things that are designed to fail—both in play and in life.