Ghada Wali: What do we know about the dispute between the Egyptian designer and the Russian artist who accused her of stealing his works?

Once again, Egyptian graphic designer Ghada Waly found herself at the center of public debate after Russian artist Georgy Korasov accused her of “stealing” his work.

The Russian artist says that the Egyptian designer used one of his paintings in an advertising campaign for a soft drink company.

These accusations were denied by the Egyptian artist, but this did not end the debate between the two parties. Rather, the discussion continued for a few days through social media platforms in Egypt.

Reports indicate that the fees for the advertising campaign that sparked a spar between Wali and Korasov relate to the “7Up 7Up” brand of the American soft drink company “Pepsi”.

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Five years ago, the famous company launched an advertising campaign to promote a limited edition 7Up pack. These packages were distinguished by their ornate colors and drawings inspired by the Egyptian heritage.

At that time, the campaign won the admiration of many, and it was widely popular, but its luster diminished after the packages were withdrawn from the market.

But the advertising campaign has returned to the discussion circle recently.

On May 17, 2023, Egyptian newspapers quoted Ahmed Hassan, the Russian artist’s lawyer, as saying that “his client discovered the use of one of his artistic paintings and drawings after watching Pepsi’s advertisement on TV.

The Russian artist is heading to take legal action against Pepsi and the Egyptian designer, demanding huge financial compensation and an official apology from the company for using his drawings without permission.

According to the lawyer, Korasov “has all the documents indicating that the drawings that appeared in the advertisements belong to him.”

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For her part, the Egyptian graphic designer defended herself, stressing that she is “the owner of the original designs for the soft drink campaign.”

In a press statement circulated by several local media outlets, Wali described the Russian artist’s accusations as “false”, saying that he seeks “to ride the trend and gain fame by falsely accusing her from time to time without providing evidence.” In the statement, which was circulated by several local media outlets, Wali described the Russian artist’s accusations as “false”, considering that he seeks to “ride the trend and gain fame by falsely accusing her from time to time without providing evidence.”

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The artist also published a video clip on her Instagram account, in which she announced resorting to the judiciary to prove her right and confront the electronic bullying she was subjected to.

She pointed out that the carbonated water company’s campaign dates back to 2018, adding that she “drew these drawings with her own hands and it is available on the Internet.”

Ghada says that her artistic project aims to revive the Egyptian heritage, explaining that “the latest advertising campaign is part of a series of similar projects inspired by the ancient Egyptian civilization.”

And she continued, “The Russian artist took advantage of her silence and her lack of response to his previous accusations that topped the media last year, so he repeated the ball again,” as she put it.

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In July 2022, the Russian plastic artist, Ghada Wali, was accused of “stealing” four paintings of his works, and using them in the murals of the “College of Girls” metro station in the capital, Cairo.

At that time, the National Authority for Tunnels affiliated with the Egyptian Ministry of Transport issued a statement, in which it apologized to the Russian artist, stressing its full respect for intellectual property rights, whether inside or outside Egypt.

The mutual accusations sparked angry reactions and widespread controversy across Egyptian platforms.

It also re-discussed the boundary between quotation and inspiration.

There are those who criticized the Egyptian artist and mentioned her previous crisis with the Russian painter, calling on the government to publish a new statement explaining the nature of the measures it took against her following the Cairo metro mural crisis.

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Some have begun to compare the works of Wali and Korasov, hoping to find evidence to end this controversy.

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Commentators believe that if the Russian artist’s allegations are true, the least that can be done “is to hold Wali accountable and review her works, especially those that she presented in national forums.”

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Others, however, demanded that PepsiCo issue an explanation.

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On the other hand, commentators expressed their sympathy for Wali and called for waiting for the court to decide the case before issuing verdicts.

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Among the defenders of Wali, who saw that the matter was nothing more than a mere telepathy or was influenced by the same art school, which opened a discussion of another kind among those interested in plastic art in Egypt.

On the other hand, tweeters denounced the involvement of politics in the matter and accused certain parties of exploiting the event, so that some considered what was happening as a conspiracy aimed at distorting Egyptian art, so that others responded to them with sarcastic comments calling for educating people on the need to protect intellectual and artistic property rights.

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The star of Ghada Wali rose to prominence after she was commissioned to design projects supervised by the government, including the slogan for the celebration of “The Opening of the Rams Road” in 2021.

Among the reasons for her fame is also her representation of Egyptian women at the World Youth Forum that took place in November 2017 in Sharm El-Sheikh, when she gave a speech to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.