Lutfi’s engagement with women’s roles in Egyptian society is highlighted in Red Shoes, which shows a young woman wearing
a hijab and holding a cell phone; behind her are five negative print versions of herself, suggesting time-lapse photography. These
shadowy images obscure her daring fashion choices, revealed in the final image—her headscarf, jacket, and pants meld blandly
with the gray background, but her red top and shoes brightly peek through. Here, Lutfi portrays a hijabi who defies the standard
perception of Muslim women, asserting herself through her style, attitude, and stance. Lutfi received her Doctorate in Islamic Culture
and History from McGill University in 1983, then returned to Egypt, where alongside her dynamic art practice she taught at the
American University in Cairo until 2009.
