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 […]
February 2025 | With Nada Debs
As a European teen in the 90s, I never felt any connection between design and my Arabic roots. The talents of Philippe Starck, Ettore Sottsass, Andrée Putman, and later Christian Liaigre and India Mahdavi offered unique inspiration. But even though the brilliant India is part Iranian and part Egyptian, I initially perceived her primarily as […]
January 2025 | With Lara Baladi
With the second edition of the Islamic Arts Biennale opening on January 25th (we’ll share insights on it after it opens), and the 1-54 Art Fair returning to Marrakesh on January 30th, the new year is already offering its share of inspiration. We’re celebrating the beginning of 2025 with a very special treat. A dialogue […]
December 2024 | On Boxes
Malvina Reynolds was an American singer-songwriter and political activist who passed away in 1978 at age 77. Truthfully, I hadn’t heard of her until binge-watching Weeds, the mid-2000s Showtime series about a widowed mother in San Diego who turns to selling marijuana to support her family. Her song Little Boxes wittily opened each episode, and […]
November 2024 | On Heritage
In almost every conversation about my creative work, the theme of heritage inevitably surfaces.Heritage, the legacy passed down from previous generations, has become a powerful focus in the design world today. I remember the first time I heard Beyoncé’s The Gift, particularly the song “Black Parade.” The research and concept behind that album still resonate with me—especially given […]
October 2024 | On Identity
As the trees begin to adorn their autumn colors, the release of a new Alaa El Aswany novel brings a mix of emotions. Au Soir d’Alexandrie, purchased but not yet read, sits on my shelf. There’s excitement because El Aswany is one of the few living Egyptians whose creative voice resonates internationally. But there’s also […]
September 2024 | September
Every two years, the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship celebrates some of the finest craftsmanship in the world, through a public exhibition called HOMO FABER in Venice kicking off this September 1st. With Paris Design Week closely following, September is a month of celebration and work for many creatives. For those formatted by the […]