Meet the Artist

Azalia Ali is an interdisciplinary artist working mainly with ceramics, acrylic, and charcoal. She received her BFA from The University of Cincinnati's school of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning all while being a member of the United States Army Reserves. Coming from a background of American and Middle Eastern heritage and simultaneously pursuing very different paths in life she has become extremely interested in the concept of intersectionality. Her work focuses on the relationships formed through societal structures and how those constructs shape the way people view themselves and their place in nature. She has worked very closely with communities that are not supported by society and has given them a platform and a voice through portraiture and story telling. Azalia's artistic goals are to bridge gaps in the social order and bring people together through creative outlets.

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I'm currently working on a project dealing with the relationships between artist and subject. Focusing on how portraiture specifically connects two people. When I was younger, being a neurodivergent kid with unsure social skills I deeply struggled making friends. It was then I started drawing the people around me. Their excitement of being immortalized on a piece of paper, feeling like someone understood them, at least physically, in a way they haven't experienced before is what brought many of my connections and new friendships early in life.