Wall Talk: Egypt's revolutionary art

Egyptian woman walks by a mural with Arabic that reads 'no to harassing women' in Cairo.

An Egyptian family walks past murals with Arabic that reads, 'his name was Karim Khozam, he was a symbol of commitment, 1992-2012,' in Tahrir Square.

A mural with Arabic that reads 'God, give me justice,' inside an art exhibition for street graffiti in Cairo, Egypt.

Egyptian activist artist works on a mural depicting a rebel with an eye patch in Tahrir square.

Egyptian street artist Ghanzir walks by a mural with Arabic that reads 'the people are giving me a hard time,' inside an art exhibition of street graffiti.

Combination image of two photos taken in the same location; top, an Egyptian couple walks by a mural depicting military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi on the left side of the face and ousted president Mubarak, right side with Arabic that reads, 'who assigned you did not die, no for gas export to Israel, the revolution continues', bottom; a veiled Egyptian woman walks past a wall that was newly whitewashed during a cleanup campaign to erase old murals.

Mona Said, the owner of the art gallery. hosting an exhibition of street graffiti.

Girls walk past a mural inspired by a widely circulated photo of Egyptian police beating and stripping a veiled female protester, on a recently whitewashed wall with Arabic that reads 'we will not forget you our lady,' in Tahrir Square.

A woman inspects a mural with Arabic that reads 'too much sin,' inside an art exhibition of street graffiti in Cairo, Egypt.

A group of artists, photographers and a publisher have joined together to preserve Egypt's graffiti. "Wall Talk" – their newly released 680-page book – collected hundreds of photos of the wall art since the beginning of the revolt against then-President Hosni Mubarak in early 2011 until today. The result is a street history that chronicles image by image the evolution of Egypt's upheaval, which is still unsettled.

"Every art form has its rules. When I paint on wall, I commit my art to the street. The street owns it. The street and whoever in it can do what they want with it," says Sad Panda, a prominent graffiti artist who won't give his real name for fear of retribution. "To me, politics is absurd, stupid and sad. It is all about winning power.

"But I did take part in the revolution. I cannot be living in a nation that has a revolution and not participate."

* AP