Bio
A mixed-media artist, I graduated from the University of Maryland in 1991, worked in graphic design and public art projects, and finally decided to dedicate my career to fine arts in 2019. I work from my home studio in Dubai. My artwork centers around social issues and challenges traditional techniques by combining paint with textile, string and collage on canvas. In the short time since I launched my art practice, I have been featured in print (Art Seen, 2021 and 2022 -All She Makes - Artist Talk - Women United Art Magazine) and 9 online exhibitions, including a solo show with Women United Art Movement last January.
Additionally, I was shortlisted for the Emerging Scene Art Prize in 2020 where my work was included on over 1,200 screens across Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
I exhibited in DIFC Art Nights in 2020; and participated in World Art Dubai 2022 with a solo booth, and gallery booths in WAD 2021 and 2023.
My work was included in “Occupy the Moment”, National Women’s Caucus for Art 50th conference (Chicago, 2021), and in WCA-DC’s “What is Ours” exhibition at Sandy Spring Museum in 2022.
More recently, I ranked 8th in the Women United Art Prize Collage and Fiber Art Category and was included in the Portrait Show at Hubspace Gallery in Dubai and Art Is Life show at Boushahri Gallery in Kuwait in 2022.
2022 also saw my work exhibited in Al Fanar Restaurant, UAE National Day Exhibit, and in Kawkab Art’s Dubai Box Park Art Show.
In addition to being involved in global art communities The Art Queens and Curator’s Salon, I am currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Museum Studies at the University of Leicester.
My art is sold on Saatchi Art and Kawkab Art.
Statement
This collection examines hair and women’s identities:
Hair has always been a fascination for human beings.
So much so that there are now multibillion dollar industries surrounding hair products and treatments, and serious issues ranging from racial stigma to body shaming to social status to religious debate with hair at their source: Hair dyeing or going gray? Taming curls or staying natural? Embracing baldness or getting implants? Wigs or weaves? Waxing or laser? Head covering or visible hair?
So much heartache and judgement from a feature naturally designed to shield and protect our bodies makes me wonder; is it worth all the pain?
And what if we all had flowers instead of hair?
This series imagines a world were flowers adorn our heads to relieve us from the shackles of societal expectations and body image. Without these pressures on our bodies and our souls, we are finally allowed to bloom - free.
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