Portrait of Nada Elkalaawy, Courtesy of the artist 

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Nada Elkalaawy is an Egyptian artist living in London. She has had solo shows in London, Bern, Cairo and Berlin, and her work has been shortlisted for several prizes. She co-founded K-oh-llective, a platform promoting art practices in Egypt and the Arab world. Her work is featured in the X Museum collection in Beijing, the Soho House collection in London and private collections worldwide. DIVAZ had to track down the artist and talk to her about her breath-taking pieces and mesmerizing aesthetic. 

How have your cultural experiences shaped your identity?
I grew up between Alexandria, Egypt and London, and living in different places has made me question identity, belonging and home. I realized that not being fully anchored to one place can be a powerful experience. This broadens my openness to various cultures and ways of thinking, which is reflected in my work. I began studying architecture but quickly realized I was more drawn to art. After transferring to Kingston University, I joined an experimental Fine Art program, which expanded my creative horizons. I pursued an MFA in Painting at the Slade School of Fine Art, where I laid the foundation for my career.

Would you say your work reflects your cultural heritage?
Yes, my work explores loss, memories and universal narratives of identity. I incorporate objects from my family home and photographs. My use of domestic references, such as porcelain figurines and Flemish tapestries, critiques colonial and Western influences in Arab culture. My practice also blends reality and fiction, exploring personal narratives through motifs like the "putti" figures from Renaissance and Baroque paintings, symbolizing emotions and memories. I’m fascinated by the illusion within representational painting, its rich history, materiality and versatility. While I primarily work with oils on canvas, I also incorporate drawing, tapestry and animation. I view my practice as a personal inquiry, a way to unravel my own cabinet of curiosities that merges reality and fiction through narratives, images, objects and ideas. 

 

Who is your Diva?
I don’t have a single figure; rather, various female influences have shaped my work. Growing up in a female-dominated household, the women in my paintings reflect family members and the influence of family photographs. These figures, often porcelain-skinned and statuesque, embody power, mystery and an awareness of the viewer’s gaze.​