inhabit #5 - Nada Elkalaawy

The protagonist of inhabit #5 is Nada Elkalaawy, an artist splitting her heart and her home in two parts, halfway between Alessandria from Egypt and London. We asked her what does home means to her and this is the result.

Nada Elkalaawy

My refuge, my sanctuary, and my safe haven. It’s the calm thoughts that put me in a comfortable and relaxed state of mind.

Alexandria, Egypt; the place where I grew up and spent my childhood, had always remained an iconic status whenever I thought of what “home” stands for. Having been living in London for the past 6 years has altered this status, though. Mobility has become a part of the natural course of life especially in the western world, yet there still seems to be a deep attachment between one and the environment in eastern communities and cultures like where I originally come from. Even though I’d like to imagine that home could be anywhere and everywhere, I seem to only consider home as the places where I have most memories.

If home is where the heart is, then by its most literal understanding, my home is where I physically am, but the question is why do I feel homesick when I’m already at home? I’ve come up with a conclusion that home for me isn’t necessarily about the place but more of its atmosphere, aura and it’s people. If I had to go back to Egypt and my friends and family were gone, it wouldn’t be home anymore and the same goes for London. This could possibly be my utopian dream, but my home is the idea of the merge between two different worlds; two different countries, two different cultures and the different people.

"Home is not where you were born. Home is where all your attempts to escape cease" – Naguib Mahfouz

Born in 1995, Nada Elkalaawy is an artist who lives and studies in London. She holds a BA in Fine Art from Kingston University and is currently doing her MFA at the Slade school of Fine Art.

Credits
Instagram @nadakalaawy
Web site nadaelkalaawy.com