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 […]
September 2025 | With NAJLA EL ZEIN
What better way to start the school year than under the auspices of a most inspiring creative muse, one whose work I regularly quote as influence. What I immediately recognized upon seeing Najla El Zein’s Table Ballon back in 2018 in Beirut, was a graceful yet mischievous irreverence towards conventions, combined with immense rigor and […]
June 2025 | City Notes: Cairo
With summer around the corner, I’m starting what I hope will become a personal, everexpanding collection of city notes; not exactly a guide, certainly not a comprehensive one. Just a loose preface to a hopefully useful list of addresses I’ve found myself returning to, sharing, and thinking about.Occasional entries or fragments that might serve as […]
May 2025 | With Amina Diab
As of May 25, the second edition of the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah will exist only in documentation and in the memories of its fortunate visitors. If you didn’t have the chance to visit the Western Hajj Terminal at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, where the event took place, I must tell you […]
April 2025 | With Bahaa Amer
As we enter spring, a recent studio visit in Cairo proved to be the perfect companion for the occasion. Visions of singular, otherworldly landscapes and whimsical flora and fauna lifted my spirits in ways only true talent can. I first met Bahaa Amer a few years ago during a show curated by Cairo-based gallery Le […]
March 2025 | On Transcendence
As we march toward the end of winter, I wanted to share some thoughts on new work, just in time for you to mark your calendars for a very special edition of PAD Paris. This year’s fair holds particular significance for me, not only because it marks my first participation in the event in my […]