Aida

GATHER Artivism Fellow, 2022

IMPACT: SOCIAL

Making people feel seen, heard and loved through paintings and deep art experiences.

Aida is an Arab, Los Angeles-based spiritual artist. She became an artist at age 20 after rheumatoid arthritis left her semi-paralyzed for over four years. She turned to art to help her heal, painting only with her hands to demonstrate to herself and to the world that she is not damaged.

She continues to paint with her fingers, and today, Aida combines her expertise as a Reiki master, intuitive, coach, and artist to create fine art to both beautify people’s physical spaces and bring healing (each art piece is infused with Reiki).

Her work on the topic of migration has been published by the University of Cambridge with Ai Weiwei and featured globally, including by Voice of America, Reuters, TRT World, Al Jazeera, and the United Nations. She was named as the 2022 Georgetown University Artist in Residence, is a BMW Foundation Leader, has received numerous awards for women in impact, and is on the board of Project Youth Empowerment.

As an Arab and previously disabled individual, Aida hopes to open increased pathways for more minorities and differently abled individuals to enter the arts as well as use art for nature conservation and climate change awareness.

During Women’s History Month, Aida was featured for the TEDinArabic Summit from March 18th-19th, 2023, at the Qatar National Convention Center in Doha, Qatar.

Learn more about her projects on her website and follow her on Instagram.

“Art saved my life in many ways—it was the only space where I could process my intense emotions and regain my confidence that I was still useful and alive. Art is my tool for change and elevation.”