Ahmad Kady

I've been creating since I could stand, for the simple reason that if I don't spend my time making things I'll go crazy. Whether it's visual art, video production, coding or improvisation, I love how my creative hobbies help me access myself and strengthen the bonds within my most important communities. I'm constantly trying to tap into the effortless sense of playfulness we all had as kids. I know that I'm onto something when the creative process makes me feel like I'm five years old again, sitting in my room and making up stories with my stuffed animals. This work is inspired by the Khamsa — a traditional Middle Eastern symbol of blessings and strength. In keeping with a long tradition of ornamental renditions of this symbol, I wanted to create my own, distinctly Egyptian Khamsa. The hand is decorated with the wildlife of Egypt: camels, hoopoes, stingrays — animals with sacred places in my childhood, my parents' stories and the Qur'an. The theme of respiration is inherently present in a work so full of living things.