Nada Elkalaawy | Studio Residency
Switzerland | Visual Arts
3 Months — Visual Arts
Nada Elkalaawy (born 1995, Alexandria) is an Egyptian visual artist. She graduated with an MFA in Painting from the Slade School of Fine Art, UCL (2018) and received her BA from Kingston University (2016). She participated in MASS Alexandria’s independent study and studio program (2018 – 2019).
Her personal history is her primary work material dealing with loss, traces of memories and fiction. The compositions combine elements taken from several photographs, intertwining multiple temporalities and localities with purely imaginary details. Even though painting sits at the core of her practice, she often incorporates drawing, animation, and tapestry projects in conversation with the painterly medium.
Painting to her is an ongoing investigation on how to tackle the topic of longing and the exploration of capturing accurate and false memories. The artistic process therefore helps provide nuanced reflections, both from an autobiographical and a fictional perspective. Her work has been exhibited in various shows and festivals in Alexandria, Cairo, London, Berlin, Thessaloniki, Milan, and Guayaquil.
