Beyond al Nafs is a painting collection, exploring the tension between individual desires and collective belonging through an islamic and indigenous lens. The title refers to the nafs in Islam — the ego or self — which in Sufi thought must be transcended to move closer to the Divine.

These works reflect on how individualism, rooted in Eurocentric ideals, disrupts our capacity for empathy, solidarity, and shared responsibility. It explores pathways out of the era of the anthropocene. I draw from my amazigh heritage, indigenous philosophies, and Sufi teachings that emphasize interconnectedness and the communal journey of transformation. Through layered compositions in acrylics and oil pastels, I use organic forms and symbolic motifs to evoke both struggle and romanticisation, the vulnerability of facing one’s inner self and the beauty found in earth-human connection and spiritual trust.