“For someone who can express a flood of emotions in just an artwork, I seem to be at loss for words when it comes to talking about myself. So, allow me to talk about myself, using art as my crutches. I like to shatter the walls of banality to pull out my raw perspective for everyone to see. Art is a way of survival, for without it, I don’t know where I’d be. To me, art is an identity.”
Salwa Ali is an artist, photographer and graphic designer. Her interests lie in art law and business. She’s a student at Dar Al Hekma focusing on visual communication. Her journey into art began when she first submitted a photo to Crossway Foundation’s competition and became part of their journey in the summer of 2012. Her work was then exhibited at the British Museum in London.
Since then, Salwa has won numerous awards for her work in visual arts. Being a creative, she often initiates projects that not only make you reflect, but also encourage participation.
One of her projects was the #RamadanIsMoreThan Instagram series. The concept was to focus more on the message of Ramadan and also to accept our flaws and tell relatable stories. You can check out the project using the hashtag on Instagram.
Unleash your creativity when you are frustrated and stuck in traffic.
Given the state of roads with all the construction going on, it wouldn’t come as a surprise that most of our time is spent in traffic. It can get quite frustrating. During her daily commutes, Salwa Ali, tried to find a creative outlet for her frustration and carsickness. She downloaded the best doodling app out there, Paper by 53, and started doodling while stuck in traffic. The drawings she creates on her phone are one of a kind. They are mostly portraits of different people. Each doodle begins with the character’s nose. The traffic, street bumps and the driver’s style of driving determines the rest of the drawing.
