Helios

About the Artist - Farah Zada

Farahzada El Shihy is a Cairo-based artist and designer whose work is inspired by “Afrika”; she considers herself “Pan-African” meaning that she relates to Africa as a whole. Farahzada’s work is influenced by the history of symbols and tribal motifs and their meanings around Africa; either engraved on walls, worn as masks, embroidered on textiles or even tattooed. She was always inspired by tribal motifs and patterns, but her trip to Kenya in 2015 where she was exposed to beautiful people, colorful textiles and afrobeats music was a turning point in her life as an artist.
Farahzada studied graphic design at the American University in Cairo which also helped her a lot in discovering her own path as an experimental artist.
Her Thesis Project wherein she tackled the idea of identity and dug deeper into the history of Amazigh symbols and language had a huge impact on Farahzada. She came to realize how much we are all connected, consequently strengthening her sense of belonging to the continent. Farahzada loves to experiment with different mediums and styles. In 2017, she started experimenting with one line art and combining it with her pan- African influences, a fusion that saw Farahzada develop her own unique artistic voice that incorporates tribal patterns and symbols from all over Africa to create a sense of collective identity. She expresses her art on paper, canvas, wood, textile, and block printing, as well as on walls, in the realm of digital art, and in her latest project, interactive installations.