Above are old images that I had the pleasure of scanning and painting over with coffee. Growing up in an Iraqi household, our afternoons were filled with coffee and nostalgia. Whether it was old Arabic music or a dismal news segment that played in the background, we would peer into our coffee cups, trying to decipher the images within, seeking meaning in our past and future.

 

This tradition of tasseography became the main influence over my aesthetic values. It inspired me to capture fleeting moments of happiness and connection—events I never personally experienced yet feel deeply ingrained in my memories.

 

Through this work, I explore the intersection of memory, nostalgia, and the faint traces of mysticism in my culture.