Sparking Conversation

From a young age, Ghada Wali expressed herself visually. She was an introvert and a nervous speaker, but painting, illustration, and design freed her to communicate openly and expressively. As she pursued a career in graphic design, the Egyptian native came to understand how her homeland in the Middle East was perceived by the rest of the world—with fear and negativity that didn’t reflect her own experience. Wali once again turned to art to counter those tropes. One of the 29-year-old’s major projects, “Let’s Play,” introduced Arabic to foreigners by constructing the alphabet from colorful Legos.

How do you challenge stereotypes?

I grew up in both Cairo and Dubai, and I developed a deep love for the region. In Egypt, the architecture is incredibly multilayered; you can see a contemporary building and then a historic structure on the same street. Each layer has its own story. I love the history, culture, food, people, and even the chaos. I see beauty in the chaos.

But the Middle East faces terrible stereotypes. I traveled a lot with my family as a child and lived in Europe for a year to pursue my master’s degree. One day, I visited the library in Italy because I missed Arabic. All they had were books about terrorism, destruction, and fear. ISIS. Because of these perceptions, the Middle East is often overlooked or discounted despite having amazing art, music, and history. I created “Let’s Play” to connect the Arabic identity to innocence, playfulness, and communication.

I also want to combat stereotypes related to religion, politics, and gender inequality within the Middle East. One project, “Refugees Are Real,” was a series of paintings that appeared to move with animation and played a message from each subject. I wanted people to reflect on the experience of refugees and shift from a detached sense of pity, a common response, to action.

An initiative to address gender inequality was called “Meen Homma,” which means “Who said so?” It was a series of posters that asked questions: “Who says that women who laugh out loud are indecent?” “Who says a man shouldn’t grow his hair?” We wanted people to rethink existing standards and reflect on whether they were really misperceptions. Some people felt empowered. Others were completely against challenging gender norms. But it triggered a conversation, and I think that’s the best thing you can hope for as a designer—to create work that forces people to talk to one another.