Hayaty Diaries is what happens when two like-minded Arab women transform a shared artistic vision into a cultural movement. Launched in 2022 by childhood friends Kinzy Diab and Christina Shoucair, the women-led art collective is reimagining how Arab women’s voices are celebrated. Together, driven by a deep connection to their heritage, Diab and Shoucair are challenging entrenched perceptions of art, gender, and identity in the MENA region one nomadic exhibition at a time. The duo’s work is extremely vital—in addition to preserving and educating, the platform is enhancing the visibility of Arab women artists and creating an environment where each artist feels seen and supported. MILLE caught up with Diab and Shoucair to discover more about their creative journey and the art of turning individual narratives into cultural resonance.
What inspired you to start Hayaty Diaries, and how did your personal backgrounds shape this journey?
Kinzy Diab: Christina and I have always been drawn to creating—whether that was in the form of a theater performance at the age of seven (where we made our parents sit, watch, and, more importantly, clap) or a short-lived tie-dye brand during COVID (which was very much a failed venture). Founding Hayaty Diaries felt almost inevitable for us; it was the natural progression of our journey in creating together. All we have really done is extend our dynamic to build a community of women like us—creators who want to enjoy and redefine the art world.
Both of us grew up in London, having left Egypt and Saudi Arabia at a young age. Hayaty Diaries began as a way to reconnect with the places and cultures that have shaped our identities as women from Egypt and Lebanon. Driven by a shared love for our culture and a desire to uplift women creatives from the MENA Region, we felt a strong urge to create room for voices of creatives who look like us, share our histories, and tell stories often overlooked in mainstream Western culture.
Why did you choose to structure Hayaty Diaries as both a collective and a nomadic gallery? What does this bring to your exhibitions?
Kinzy Diab: Our nomadic structure allows us the freedom to host exhibitions in a variety of spaces, each of which helps us tell a different story. This flexibility challenges us to create with the space and produce experiences that transport our viewers into the themes and narratives behind each artist’s work. Being nomadic also means we’re not limited to one country; Christina and I are excited to exhibit across our region in places like Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt and internationally in cities like Paris and New York, connecting with the diaspora and expanding our reach.
The collective aspect of Hayaty Diaries allows us to build a roster of artists we collaborate with, curating exhibitions that reflect the story we want to tell together. We hope our community of women creatives, who form the Hayaty Diaries collective, connect, collaborate, and draw strength from one another. We’ve discovered a powerful support system at our exhibitions, where each artist actively champions the success of others, often forming lasting friendships along the way.
What themes do you feel are most important to address in the art of Arab women today, and how do you approach selecting these themes for your exhibitions?
Kinzy: The themes we’ve explored so far include perception and the power of the viewer’s gaze in our exhibition “Through Their Eyes: Perspectives Unveiled” (2023). In “Material Woman” (2024), created in collaboration with 3EIB, we explored the beauty of craftsmanship, focusing on how women use their hands to craft their destinies and honor their heritage through art and fashion. In June, we offered our audience a moment of temporary disconnection by inviting them to escape into “Levitate” (2024), where they could hover just above the ground for a moment of breath and reflection. Finally, in “I Forgot What You Felt Like” (2024), we explored themes of reconnection—reconnecting with ourselves, buried identities, estranged lovers, and once-familiar places.
It’s not that we believe these specific themes are the only important ones to highlight, but rather that they provide a foundation for women from our region to explore their own narratives. Artists might create in conflict with it or in conversation with the theme. The themes simply serve as a backdrop for what’s most important: to give women from the region a platform to express themselves authentically and freely.
The way Christina and I choose our themes is very organic. They can start with a title around which we build the entire concept, or they may emerge from conversations we have with artists. Sometimes, they come from a spark of inspiration; other times, they’re the result of more thoughtful planning. Ultimately, the themes we select are not just a reflection of the art itself, but a way to cultivate a deeper understanding and connection to the stories that women from the region are telling through their work.
In your latest exhibition, “I Forgot What You Felt Like,” what messages or emotions were you hoping to convey to audiences?
Kinzy Diab: We wanted to explore themes of rediscovery because, as people from the MENA region, we live in a landscape shaped by continuous shifts—socially, politically, and culturally. Memory and remembering our homelands as they were before these changes are vital to preserving our roots and honoring where we come from. Beyond that, rediscovery is a fundamental part of the human experience. We’re all in a constant state of redefinition, imagining who we are and who we might become and reconciling our identities with our ever-changing environments.
Our artists express these themes in intimate ways—through memories of loved ones, pivotal moments of self-awareness, and explorations of identity formation in the context of migration or displacement. This journey of rediscovery is about acknowledging and embracing these transient phases of change and seeing what grows in their aftermath. Whether it’s reconnecting with a long-lost part of ourselves or rekindling past relationships, rediscovery feels like coming home. And sometimes, it serves as a signal to create a new home altogether, a place where our evolving identities feel most true.
How do you strike a balance between highlighting individual artists’ voices and creating a unified aesthetic for the collective?
Kinzy Diab: We embrace the diversity of styles, techniques, and themes that our artists bring, finding ways to connect their work through shared concepts or visual elements that naturally emerge during the curation process. This allows us to create cohesive yet diverse exhibitions, giving each artist’s perspective space to shine while maintaining an overall narrative. By thoughtfully combining these works, we highlight the different dimensions of the Arab woman’s experience, whether through color palettes, forms, or thematic connections. In this way, we create exhibitions that tell individual stories while forming a larger, unified narrative that reflects the range of our collective experience, encouraging a dialogue that celebrates the artists’ unique perspectives.
What advice would you give to emerging Arab women artists looking to share their voices and stories through art?
Kinzy Diab: The three main things I would tell artists is not to be afraid to take creative risks and prioritize honesty and authenticity over the pursuit of perfection. Secondly, to embrace their unique perspective and cultural heritage, let it enrich their art and set them apart in the global art scene. Finally, liberate yourself to create freely but intentionally.
It is also really important to stay connected with your community and fellow artists to access opportunities and support. While expressing yourself authentically, you should be mindful of the societal and political landscapes that may impact your ability to showcase your work freely within the region. Look for spaces and communities that champion artistic freedom, support your creative expression, and advocate for the right to share your unique voice without fear of censorship or suppression. Finally, leverage social media platforms like Instagram to promote your work. It’s an invaluable tool for reaching potential collectors and growing your audience, giving you the chance to build a global network from anywhere.
Can you walk us through your curation process?
Christina Shoucair: When selecting the artists, we had a clear vision of who we wanted to work with, based on how their unique expressions and subject matter would naturally interact with the theme. With the exception of one artist, Zahra Holm, all the artists in this show are ones we’ve worked closely with before, so we knew their individual styles would come together to create a beautiful visual narrative. Their colors and textures complement one another effortlessly, almost bouncing off and mirroring each other, allowing for a smooth transition from one piece to the next. That said, their subject matters are varied, each offering a unique response to the same sentiment, “I Forgot What You Felt Like.”
For instance, Holm’s work focuses on the sensory experience and rethinking one’s relationship with the body. As a new mother, she reflects on the changes she has experienced—on how her body once felt, and how it feels now. Huda’s paintings delve into intimate relationships, exploring both platonic and romantic love in hindsight, expressed through her two-part series. Yasmina’s pieces are literal revisitations of the artist’s work, as she created them in two separate time frames—starting them in 2022/2023 and completing them in 2024—literally returning to her art after life has shifted and she has gained fresh insights into her creative process. Raya’s work engages with family history, self-reflection, and emotional reconciliation—almost like coming home to herself.
From a curatorial standpoint, one of the most striking things we noticed was the strong feminine energy that resonates throughout the exhibition. This wasn’t something we intentionally curated, but it emerged organically as we received the works from the artists. I think it speaks to how personal this exhibition feels. At its core, the exhibition is about the self—captured in the title “I Forgot What You Felt Like”. It’s about each artist revisiting and remembering a part of their life, whether through their body, the spaces they’ve occupied, or the relationships they’ve had.
How would you describe the core mission of Hayaty Diaries, and what unique perspectives does it bring to the art world?
Christina Shoucair: The core mission of Hayaty Diaries is to celebrate and elevate the diverse voices and cultural identities of contemporary women artists from the MENA region. We are dedicated to creating a nurturing, inspiring environment where each artist feels seen, supported, and empowered to grow in their artistic practice. We aim to provide a platform that broadens their visibility both regionally and internationally, fostering a space that honors their unique talents and visions.
What sets Hayaty Diaries apart in the art world is our commitment to curating exhibitions, interdisciplinary collaborations, and initiatives that showcase each artist’s individual talent while exploring the shared themes that connect them. By prioritizing authentic storytelling and art-making, we encourage our artists to share their experiences without constraint, contributing to a cultural shift in how women creatives from our region are recognised and valued.
Could you share the significance of the name “Hayaty Diaries”?
Christina Shoucair: From the beginning, Kinzy and I envisioned Hayaty Diaries as a space offering an intimate, unfiltered look into the creative minds of the artists we collaborate with. The name “Hayaty”—a term of endearment in Arabic that translates to “my life”—perfectly captures our vision to document these artists’ thoughts, histories, and identities. Each artwork becomes a diary entry, offering a glimpse into the artist’s inner world, the stories of those around them, and connections that span generations.
For us, “Hayaty” embodies both tenderness and strength. By choosing this word, we aim to reclaim its meaning, emphasizing the resilience, complexity, and power within the female experience. “Hayaty” is more than an expression of affection; it’s a testament to identity and agency—a collective chronicle of lived experiences that deserves to be shared, valued, and witnessed by a wider audience. This is the essence of our collective’s identity: a celebration of “my life” in all its authenticity and depth.
What role do you see Hayaty Diaries playing in changing perceptions of Arab women’s art in the diaspora?
Christina Shoucair: Kinzy and I often discuss how Hayaty Diaries is part of a much larger, ongoing movement. Right now, we’re witnessing a powerful wave of MENA women, particularly in creative fields, stepping forward to claim their voices and reshape their narratives. Our role is to contribute to this shift by using our platform to amplify the courageous, authentic, and often vulnerable stories expressed through these women’s art. By providing a space for these voices, we believe perceptions of women from the region will shift as audiences experience nuanced, real stories told directly by the artists—stories that challenge stereotypes and offer a more complex, multifaceted view of who we are.
Through the art we showcase, we want people to see that being a MENA woman is not a static or singular identity but a dynamic and evolving experience. There are no limits to who we are or how we define ourselves. The truth is, only we define our identities. We are bold, outspoken, and expressive—just as much as any other women—and one of the greatest misconceptions is assuming otherwise.
How does Hayaty Diaries contribute to the visibility of Arab women artists in the broader art scene, especially in Western contexts?
Christina Shoucair: At Hayaty Diaries, enhancing the visibility of MENA women artists is central to our mission as a nomadic gallery and collective. Through our exhibitions and growing social media presence, we aim to showcase the incredible talent of artists from our generation, reaching both our immediate art community in the UK and the broader international art scene. We achieve this by connecting with both established traditional art spaces—where we have cultivated relationships given our backgrounds in the creative industry—and the emerging creative community of younger collectors and art enthusiasts. Our goal is to bridge the gap between these generations, creating an inclusive environment that encourages both established and emerging audiences to discover and appreciate the art created by women from our region.
Being based in London provides us with a unique opportunity to amplify the visibility of MENA artists within Western contexts, where there is a growing interest in exploring and understanding our culture. Through exhibitions, we create spaces where people can fully immerse themselves in the art, engage with the stories behind each piece, and connect directly with the artists. This personal experience is vital in shifting perceptions and deepening the understanding of MENA women’s creative voices in the global art scene.
What has been your most meaningful collaboration with an artist or collective, and why?
Christina Shoucair: I find this question quite difficult to answer, to be honest, because I really cannot choose one experience over the other. Each exhibition we’ve worked on has its own unique energy—a different soul, a different pulse that shapes the spirit of the show. The diverse messages behind each exhibition draw in different artists, and with every new collaboration, we gain fresh perspectives that push us to grow and evolve.
