While photographing in an old neighborhood that never sees tourists in their winding streets, an older man stopped me and in a confused state asked me why I was taking photos. I was overwhelmed with awe by the scene I was photographing and motioned to it, stating 'Just look at it, it's beautiful'. He looked and replied 'beautiful, it's an old mess' and walked on.

The ancient Egyptian proverb 'A Beautiful Thing Is Never Perfect' seemed quite fitting for the photographs I found myself making in Cairo, a sprawling maze of over 20 million people. It's steeped in history, and yet, most visitors never venture past the pyramids and the main museum before moving on to the other historic cities.

In this series, I aim to take the viewer past the postcard shots of the pyramids, deeper into this diverse and historically rich city. To show a glimpse of the complexity of Cairo and the lives of the people through equally complex and candid moments of daily life that often raise more questions than provide obvious answers. Moments that even if we come from a completely different background, we can relate to, smile at, empathize with and appreciate the shared beauty of life.