I have lived in Cairo, Egypt for 18 of my 20 years and am, understandably, irrevocably connected with it. Having left for Art College in the UK a year and a half ago I seemed to have ‘Cairo on the brain’ more than ever. The culmination of words, shapes, sounds, textures, colours and patterns that made up my daily experience, seen through fresh eyes, suddenly became of interest and in some way rather exotic.

After completing a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design in Swansea, Wales I am now studying Textile Design and International Development in London. Setting up, opening and running the gallery ‘Blue’ (Autumn/Winter '08/'09) with a fellow student in the seaside town of Burry Port, Wales was an incredible and deeply enriching experience.

 It has given me the opportunity to display my own work and given me a taste of what I am interested in for the future. It was a constantly evolving labour of love. We were also able to create a space in which local artists and other students could exhibit their work, simultaneously giving back to the community which to date has nothing equivalent. We were also fortunate enough to be featured on the national Welsh channel S4C on the Wedi 7 programme.

When for a final project at university I was given the topic of Glamourama, in retrospect it’s no surprise that I revisited, drew on elements of Egyptian greats/stars/icons. When I exhibited in the UK I felt as though the project was only just beginning and that it was something which I had to explore through my artistic expressions in greater depth throughout the summer, and that these pieces had to be shown where they belonged, in Cairo its-self, to the people who know of their relevance. I wanted to be part of bringing legendary Egyptians of old back in a refreshed manner as part of the fabric that makes up modern societies homes/lives/surroundings and ultimately keep their memory alive.
In the summer of 2009 I was privileged to be granted a solo-exhibition at the Hanfaninha Gallery in Zamalek, a fabulous experience, as well as interning with renowned Egyptian Interior designer Mona Hussein.