Nagui Achamallah	Nagui Achamallah was born in 1953 in Alexandria, Egypt. He was surrounded by Egyptian, Greek and Islamic art and architecture. The interest and drive to paint came in Medical school, especially after seeing the Alexandria Biennially Exhibition. While studying to become a physician, he joined the University of Alexandria Atelier, and took an independent fine art study program. The late sixties and early seventies in Egypt were very intense times; It was a time of wars, unrest and social changes. In an attempt to make sense of the world he became interested in existential philosophy, and psychoanalytic theory, his paintings continue to reflect this influence. As a student, Nagui participated in several University group shows and competitions and won several scholastic awards. In 1973, during his third year of Medical School, he had his first Solo show at the Physician's Club at the University of Alexandria. He held his second solo show while in the fourth year of Medical school at the French Cultural Center in Alexandria in 1975. After graduation, he practiced general Medicine in Alexandria. He came to the USA in 1981. Between 1981 and 1989, he pursued a career as a college professor. In 1989, he enrolled in a Psychiatry residency program. He is now a practicing psychiatrist in the San Francisco Bay area. Although, he continued to paint all these years , he did not start showing again until December of 1996, when he participated in a community group show. This was followed by several other juried shows. The subjects of Nagui's paintings show a Middle Eastern and a South Mediterranean influence. Most of the paintings depict human figures. The characters are involved in a struggle. They are captives of time, instincts, fears, and the reason for their existence.