Nadia Msalek is a painter currently pursuing her BFA in Painting and Printmaking at VCU Arts. Her most recent body of work explores French Orientalism and its modern manifestations, along with how it relates to her own identity as a first generation American. Nadia is particularly interested in the way the appearance of exteriors can betray interiors, and how removing or concealing can bring agency to her subjects. She is inspired by Islamic tile work and Moroccan photographers including Hassan Hajajj and Lalla Essaydi.