Nada Elkalaawy’s innovative approach to painting focuses on its ability to communicate and at the same time withhold information – a fact that renders the image highly objective as it defies straightforward interpretation. The language of oil painting is used to blur the line between reality and fiction and therefore the images are not solvable, leading a life of their own.

The iconography in her work is inspired by porcelain figurines the artist first encountered during a visit to a puppet shop in Switzerland. Some of the paintings feature ‘putti,’ infants frequently depicted in historical paintings which were believed to influence human lives. Elkalaawy holds an MFA in Fine Art Painting from the Slade School of Fine Art. She recently had solo shows at Galerie DuflonRacz, Bern, and Gypsum Gallery, Cairo. Her work is included in the Soho House collection, X Museum collection, and private collections worldwide.