Shaping the Future with Lines from the Past
Dahlia Elsayed
Portrait of Dahlia Elsayed, courtesy of the artist
Dahlia Elsayed creates vibrant, immersive artworks, blending Southwest Asian and North African decorative traditions with themes of placelessness and displacement. Exhibited globally, her work spans painting, textiles and installations, with commissions from Hermès and Meta. An award-winning artist and educator, she is a Professor of Humanities at CUNY LaGuardia Community College. DIVAZ had to ask Elsayed some questions about her ambitious artworks and tremendous trajectory thus far.
Talk to us about your background.
I’m Egyptian and Armenian. My family has deep generational roots in Egypt, and much of it still resides in Cairo. Although born in New York, my cultural background shaped how I saw the city and continues to influence how I see the world. Through that lens, I process everything with poetics, sensory richness, and the vibrancy of Cairo. My experiences with Arab visual culture—architecture, ceramics, textiles, prints—are foundational to my work. The duality of Egyptian and American influences brings a hybrid perspective to everything, not just art. I studied literature and creative writing. My painting process is closely tied to writing and poetics. I’m interested in how both forms create presence and void, sound and breath, rhythm and pause. I work in abstraction because it functions as metaphor and invites meaning for everyone. I’m deeply influenced by Islamic art, which elicits awe through shape, pattern and form rather than direct instruction.
Would you say your work reflects your cultural heritage? If so, in what way?
While I don’t consciously think about it while making work, my cultural heritage is there. Each piece contains influences from my great-grandmother, Islamic Cairo, ancient Egyptian temples or my aunt’s Mahshi. Shapes like circles often refer to domes, sun discs or fountains. I sometimes think of myself as a landscape painter, using elements of Islamic art—geometric forms, patterns, and symbolism—to convey spirituality and the sublime.
What’s the next chapter in your personal and professional journey?
Currently, I’m working on new paintings and a series of works on paper, which I envision as a future book, as well as an installation for the “Powers of the Unseen” exhibit at Rutgers University-Newark. The work revolves around Muslim spirituality and the ways art can open awareness to something greater. I’m also planning a public art project in New York City.
Who is your Diva?
My grandmother has been a major influence, both because of the magic of her hands and the joy she conveyed through creating. Additionally, I’m deeply inspired by the artisans and craftspeople whose uncredited works in mosques and markets carry an energy and labor that moves me profoundly.
