July 2026 | With India Mahdavi
As I write these lines, the second Arab Design Now Biennale in Doha was postponed to next November, as yet another senseless war disrupted the fragile rhythm of our world. This year’s jury president is none other than design icon India Mahdavi.I’m happy to call India a close friend. A woman whose company is always […]
June 2026 | With Hend Sabry
In a world where the map of mood and safety is redrawn with alarming frequency, Egypt’s relative stability is not taken for granted by those who call it home, or by those who love it from afar. And with the anticipation of long summer days, the allure of silver screen muses feels especially potent. There’s […]
May 2026 | On Liminality
A few days ago, a Milanese friend wrote to ask if I’d make it to Salone this year. As I scrolled to reply, I stumbled on an earlier exchange where I’d been told to loosen my grip on the past. That same morning, one of my stonemasons wondered why I seemed so preoccupied with what’s […]
April 2026 | With Adrian Pepe
I met Adrian in Beirut a little less than a decade ago. Our common close friend Nada Debs introduced us. Adrian is originally from Honduras. He was one of several foreigners whose paths I had crossed in Lebanon and who made me wonder why I wasn’t myself living there. He carried himself remarkably gracefully. With […]
March 2026 | With Omniya Abdel Barr
I haven’t written two consecutive diary entries about Egypt since 2024, but with March 2026 opening in the heart of Ramadan, this month’s guest felt especially timely. The holy month evokes a spectrum of thoughts, depending on where you are in the world and what you know of it. Anyone familiar with the Arab world […]
February 2026 | With Karim El Hayawan
February has never been my favorite month. Cloudy, damp, and caught between the nostalgia of past festivities and the long anticipation of spring, it’s the shortest month of the year, though it often feels the longest. Between Valentine’s Day and a birthday no one lets me forget (mine), February rarely gives me much to praise, […]
January 2026 | On Unity
2+0+2+6=10 which simplifies to 1. In numerology, the number 1 is the ultimate power number, symbolizing unity. In the Tarot, it is represented by the Magician, the merging of spirit into matter, or as Gen Z now calls it, “manifesting.” I am no math whiz or card shark, but 2026 screams unity as a necessity. […]
December 2025 | With Béatrice Serre
By coincidence, while preparing my dialogue with Béatrice, I stumbled upon another reference to Roger Caillois whom I dedicated my last November Diary entry to, but this time in the preface to her book Mosaïque: Le Champ des Possibles, which seemed perfectly fitting for the holiday season with its glorious colors, textures and festive appeal. Caillois’ […]
November 2025 | On Stones
I’m not entirely sure how the work that inspired this month’s diary entry will ultimately unfold, since it is being disassembled as I write.We’re all still barely processing the resonance of the event, with visitors coming from across the country and beyond. One of the blessings attached to the work that led to the exhibition […]
October 2025 | With Victor Gastou
In 2022, I was showing with my Cairo gallery Le Lab at Salon Art + Design in Manhattan. As I strolled down the spacious Park Avenue Armory aisles, I was stopped by the Gastou name, printed above the booth of the emblematic Parisian gallery. I had heard that its founder, Yves Gastou, had passed away […]