YA 3ASAL

The Gallery at VCUarts Qatar is pleased to present YA 3ASAL, an exhibition by artist and designer Sarah Elawad.

In YA 3ASAL, Elawad—an alumna of the school—honors the role that sweets play in Arab and Sudanese traditions of hospitality:

“The Arab culture of hospitality is so aided by sweet things… sweets are tied to celebration… and the act of giving sweets is seen as an act of love and well wishes to those around us—a way of spreading joy and happiness.”

Traditions of hospitality provide continuity, reconnecting us with our past while expressing care and an ongoing commitment to communal, spiritual, and cultural values. This can be especially important in times of difficulty. Elawad asks:

“When loss and uncertainty are all around us… how can the sharing of these small delicacies strengthen us and our sense of connection and community? How can they bring us joy again?”

Referencing a common Arabic term of endearment (“يا عسل” – ‘Hey, Honey!’), Elawad also invokes the romance and seduction of sweets. Trained as a graphic designer, she explores iconic treats and candies of the MENA not only as cultural markers, but as enticing graphic and visual forms—elaborating and exaggerating these in playful typologies.

In doing so, YA 3ASAL offers a sensory experience as rich and alluring as its subject matter, through shimmery patterned fabrics, brightly colored walls, dramatic lighting, and glowing television screens—elements that also nod to the domestic spaces, living rooms, and parlors in which these sweets and the rituals of hospitality and family life are shared.

YA 3ASAL is on view August 28–October 9, 2025. A public artist talk and reception will take place on September 16th, 2025, 5:30 PM.

Curated by Chase Westfall and Dina Alkhateeb. 

Sarah Elawad is a British Sudanese artist. She received her MFA in Graphic Design from the Yale School of Art in 2023 and her BFA in Graphic Design from VCUArts Qatar. Sarah’s artwork celebrates beauty, love, and her culture, often highlighted through explorations of her interpersonal relationships. Her visual practice is collage-like, kitsch, and experimental, encompassing a diverse range of materials such as experimental prints, garments, textiles, video art, installations, and more.

Sarah has had work exhibited in New York, Amsterdam, Shanghai, Doha and more. She has most recently had two solo shows exhibiting her work at the Brown Arts Institute in Rhode Island and also at the 10___12 Gallery in Istanbul. Sarah has also participated in various art book fairs around the world under the experimental printing project she co-founded: Water With Water. Her work has been included in the artist book collection in the Watson Library at The MET in New York, The British Library in London, the Asia Art Archive in Brooklyn, and others.

sarahelawad.com

@sarahmelawad