My name is Nadina Ali and I’m a self-taught socially engaged graphic artist from Marseille, now based in London.
I’m passionate about social justice and representation and I use bold and colourful typography to create art that encourages people to engage with those topics in a way that is meaningful and impactful. I work across different formats such as digital art, textile art, posters, billboards and murals. I’m also passionate about making art and creativity accessible to as many people as possible, especially people who don’t traditionally have easy access to art. I host creative workshops to facilitate this.
As a Black Muslim immigrant woman from a working class background, my life experience and how I navigate the world very much inform my work and practice. As a result, amplifying the voices of under-represented people like myself through my work as much as I can is a key part of practice too.
Projects
- 'Art Is For All Of Us' poster for Tate shops‘Art Is For All Of Us’ is a poster that was commissioned by Tate and that is now available to purchase in all of their shops. It was inspired by how my limited access to Art when I was younger made me feel like Art wasn't something for me or people like me for a very long time. The aim of the poster is to inspire young (and not so young!) people to engage with and take ownership of Art, regardless of who they are and what their background is.
- Atlantic Worlds Gallery visual identity update for the National Maritime MuseumThis project was commissioned by the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. They got me on board to create a visual identity for their Atlantic Worlds Reimagined Project. The project focuses on the museum’s Atlantic Worlds gallery and aims to tell the story of the Atlantic slave trade in a way that honours and celebrates the stories of slaves. It also aims to create a more empowering gallery experience for people affected by the legacy of slavery. The National Maritime Museum has collaborated w
- Love Empathy Respect Dignity mural for Devonshire CollectiveThis mural was created as part of aproject commissioned by art organisation Devonshire Collective based in Eastbourne. For the project, I worked in collaboration with their Youth Collective and Sanctuary, a safe space offering community, connection and council for people seeking refuge. The artwork was created using ideas generated through workshops I did with the Youth Collective as well as people using Sanctuary's services. A few of the very talented people from Sanctuary also helped me paint
- United Workers billboard for Black Outdoor ArtThis billboard originally started as an Instagram post before being adapted for billboard format to be included in the Black Outdoor Art Project. The artwork was created in support of the workers strikes last year and is a take on the popular protest phrase 'The people united will never be defeated'
- Cover Art for Carefree Black Girls book by Zeba BlayI did this book cover art for Zeba Blay's book 'Carefree Black Girls', published y Square Peg books. The book celebrates Black women's contributions to pop culture which are often left unacknowledged. It also discusses issues such as colourism, fatphobia and the Angry Black woman stereotype. I really wanted the text on the cover to be colourful and uplifting so which is why I ended up creating a custom pattern for the letters to showcase. To mark the launch of book, I was also asked to create a
- 'Where Are You From?' window installation for the Migration Museum in LewishamAnother fun installation window project I worked on was this "Where Are You From?" window display for the Migration Museum in Lewisham. The installation is about the question "Where Are You From?" and how problematic and intrusive I find it. This is often asked to people who are not white and / or have an accent. As if somebody's skin colour or voice was a novelty that requires further investigation. I know some people only ask out of curiosity or in the name of small talk but I personally thin
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Projects credited in
- International Women’s Day 2021, meet 100 rising stars inspiring changeWe still have a way to go when it comes to improving gender diversity and equality in the creative, tech and digital industries – which is why it is so important for us, as a platform, to use our force for good. We’re thrilled to be releasing our annual list celebrating and shining a spotlight on 100+ rising stars from underrepresented gender identities – as nominated by The Dots community – who are transforming the industry of today and inspiring the generation of tomorrow. The list beams wit212
- Black Joy: a special zine by Ayoka & 33 CaratsThe same way that some people have a hard time understanding the concepts of #BlackLivesMatter or #BlackGirlMagic, some won’t understand #BlackJoy: Don’t all people deserve to feel joy? What is so specific about the type of joy felt by Black people? To answer these questions, we spoke to activists and artists who believe that Black joy is a way of resisting racism, sexism and all forms of oppression. We explored spaces designed specifically for Black people to express joy freely and unapologet
Work history
Graphic DesignerVCCP
- London, United KingdomFreelance
Skills
- CAD Design
- CAD Drawings
- Product Development
- Product Descriptions
- Trend Research
- Abobe Illustrator
- Adobe Photoshop
- Garment Technology
- Garment Fitting
- Garment Design
Education
BA(Hons) Clothing Design and TechnologyManchester Metropolitan University
- Manchester, United Kingdom
U
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Undergraduate degree in Foreign Languages – English/Japanese (French Undergraduate degree)Universite de Provence
- Aix-en-Provence, France