1956-

Lalla Essaydi grew up in Morocco, and later lived in Saudi Arabia for a number of years. She eventually moved on to the United States, and now lives in New York and Marrakech. In 1994, Essaydi studied painting at L’Ecole Des Beaux Arts in Paris, France. She has a Diploma in photography and installation from School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA. In 1999, Essaydi received a B.F.A from Tufts University, Medford and M.A and M.F.A from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Tufts University in 2003.

Essaydi’s art, which often combines Islamic calligraphy with representations of the female body, addresses the complex reality of Arab female identity from the unique perspective of personal experience. In much of her work, she returns to her Moroccan girlhood, looking back on it as an adult woman caught somewhere between past and present, and as an artist, exploring the language in which to “speak” from this uncertain space.

Essaydi’s work has been exhibited in many major cities in the United States, Europe and the Middle East. Her works have entered into some very prestigious royal collections and can be found in numerous private and public collections across the world including The British Museum, London; The Fries Museum, the Netherlands; The Museum of Fine arts, Boston and the Chicago Art Institute to name but a few.