Ahmed Morsi is an Egyptian artist, poet and critic. He is considered a foundational member of the Alexandria School, a term coined by renowned Egyptian novelist and critic Edwar al-Kharrat, referencing a generation of free thinkers in 1940s Alexandria, an ethnically and culturally diverse port city. Morsi took a break from writing after the 1967 Naksa (defeat) and returned to poetry in the early 2000s with a collection of elegies that unravelled the intricate dynamics of Alexandria’s coast, urban landscape and inhabitants. After relocating to New York in 1974, Morsi developed his practice around his diasporic experience and haunting personal memories. Over multiple visits to Alexandria, he witnessed his hometown gradually succumb to destruction due to the pitfalls of contemporary life. In Burial at Sea (2002), Morsi adopts a lyrical blue palette that conjures dream-like depictions of the city. As in other works from this period, these scenes reflect contrasting experiences of solitude and urban congestion.