Nada Elkalaawy (b. 1995, Alexandria, Egypt) lives and works in London. Elkalaawy’s practice is inspired by her personal history and deals with loss, trace memories and fictional narratives. She works primarily in paint, but sometimes incorporates drawing, animation and tapestry in conversation with the pictorial medium. Her creative process is a tool for introspection, enabling her to tell stories about separation, belonging and attachment. The core of her work revolves around the creation of images, the representation of fleeting memories and the visualization of mental images.
Elkalaawy holds an MFA in Painting from the Slade School of Fine Art (2018) and a BA in Fine Art from Kingston University (2016). Her solo exhibitions include Gypsum, Cairo (2025); Taymour Grahne Projects, London (2023); and Galerie DuflonRacz, Bern (2021). Her work has been included in group exhibitions and festivals at Condo, London (2025): Dajun Gallery, Taiwan (2025): Woaw Gallery, Hong Kong (2024); The Africa Centre, London (2024); Half
Gallery, New York (2023); Marlborough Gallery, London (2022); Kino der Kunst, Munich (2020); Southwark Park Galleries, London (2020); Sharjah Art Gallery, Cairo (2019); and the Nahim Isaias Museum, Guayaquil (2017). Elkalaawy has participated in residencies with Pro Helvetia, Montresso Art Foundation, and L’appartement 22. She has been shortlisted for numerous prizes including the Sainsbury Scholarship at the British School at Rome, the ACS Studio Prize, the Contemporary British Painting Prize, the Dentons Art Prize, and the Sarabande Emerging Art Fund. Her work is included in the X Museum collection, Beijing, Soho House collection, London and private collections worldwide. She is a co-founder of the artist group K-oh-llective.
