ART.

This project is close to my heart: it’s a celebration of our baby, Nia and our transition into parenthood. Over nine months, we watched her bloom and felt it only natural to let flowers hold that story in the backdrop. My husband is Somali, a culture alive with colour. Men wear a macawis (like a sarong); women, a dirac (a dress) – traditionally, in glowing oranges, reds and golds. Dirac means “protector,” a sentiment that lands differently now we’re parents. These vibrant hues guided my choice of flowers, vases and fabrics to create a cocoon-like space – one warm, vibrant and full of love.

Kaam Kari La, an artivist collective in the Netherlands, commissioned me to create floral art for their event series Wrapped in Heritage × Keffiyeh Sari. The program blended sari draping, photoshoots in the one-of-a-kind keffiyeh sari designed by founder Ruby, and conversations on Palestinian culture to raise money for grassroots initiatives in Gaza. The collective needed a bold marketing image and florals that could double as reusable photoshoot backdrops, so I worked with artificial flowers. The lead image later won the Wereld Museum’s Through the Lens contest.