Nadia Ayari

Straddling abstraction and figuration, Nadia Ayari’s work often negotiates the personal and the political. Born and raised in Tunisia, Ayari studied painting and art history in the United States, graduating with an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2007. In serial paintings that feature a tight selection of recurring motifs – among them flower blossoms, undulating branches and twisting leaves – Ayari explores the mystical and personal symbolism to be found in nature. The artist draws inspiration from the landscape and native flora of North Africa as well as poetry, often distilling visionary narratives and botanical forms into stylized, esoteric compositions whose surfaces are built up slowly from layers of thick impasto.

Ayari’s artistic process, characterized by its meticulous layering and richly textured aesthetic, was recognised and celebrated in a groundbreaking book by Phaidon titled Great Women Painters. Featuring more than 300 artists from around the world, Great Women Painters includes both well-known women painters from history and today’s most exciting rising stars. She has held solo and group exhibitions at MoMA PS1, New York; Saatchi Gallery, London; Cadet Capela, Paris; Nina Johnson Gallery, Miami; and Taymour Grahne Projects, London. Her works can be found in numerous private and institutional collections, including the Saatchi Collection, Scantland Collection, X Museum, and the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL).