The Egyptian artist Heba Y. Amin plays with archival history, creating works that delve into deeper meanings. She is specifically interested in Middle Eastern politics, and how events in Africa and across the Red Sea tie into larger global themes. Her explorations of preposterous real-life subjects are amplified by film, photography, and digital technology. For instance, Amin’s The General’s Stork features a migratory bird that was captured in Egypt, accused of being an international spy! Operation Sunken Sea looks at a bizarre 19th-century proposal to drain the Mediterranean Sea. It all has to do with borders, national autonomy, and immigration. “I used these frameworks,” Amin explains, “to show the absurdities of the racism and power hierarchies that are embedded in these historical contexts.” —E.C.