Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 35
Occupation: Artist.
Instagram: @najlaelzein.
Hometown: Beirut.
Studio location: Beirut.
Describe what you make: I tell stories.
DESIGNER OF THE DAY
Designer of the Day: Najla El Zein
Following a solo exhibition at Friedman Benda, the Lebanese designer shares how biomorphic stone works act as a conduit for her inner expressions.
By Ryan Waddoups
March 05, 2019
Distortion (2017) by Najla El Zein.
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Photography by Daniel Kukla.
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The most important thing you’ve designed to date: Alma, my daughter.
Describe the problem your work solves: My work allows me to express myself.
Describe the project you are working on now: It involves using more stone, more colors, and more textures.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: My first solo exhibition, Transition, at Friedman Benda, which opened on Feb. 28.
Seduction, Pair 01 (2018) by Najla El Zein.
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Photography by Daniel Kukla.
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What you absolutely must have in your studio: Daylight.
What you do when you’re not working: I get out of town and relax.
Sources of creative envy: Louise Bourgeois, Niki de Saint Phalle, and Meret Oppenheim to name a few.
Concrete or marble? Travertine.
High-rise or townhouse? Lebanese House.
Remember or forget? Remember.
Aliens or ghosts? Ghosts.
Dark or light? Sunlight!