Born and raised in Cairo, Amina Yahia has always been surrounded by history, culture, and the layered narratives of place. Since completing her BA in Visual Arts at NYU Abu Dhabi, Yahia has worked as a full-time artist and researcher of Arab art history, occasionally taking on design projects.
Embarking on her MFA in Art and Media program at NYUAD is an ode to her love for her alma mater and a bold expansion of her practice.
“The MFA was inaugurated when I was still an undergraduate, and even then, I could sense how promising it was becoming,” she reflects. “NYUAD offers unmatched resources, the expertise of extraordinary faculty, and a location that keeps me close to the North African and Arab contexts that shape my work.”
Being in close proximity to the NYUAD Al Mawrid Arab Center for the Study of Art where cutting-edge research in Arab art history aligns closely with Yahia’s own academic pursuits is an added bonus.
Yahia carries into her graduate studies the memory and lessons of her late mentor, Professor Tarek Al-Ghoussein. “He made me promise never to stop painting, to always stay true to my work,” she says. “He taught me to protect my practice from commercialization and to handle the heavier themes I’m drawn to with care and integrity. As I prepare for this new chapter, I often imagine what guidance he might have offered me now.”
Yahia hopes her time at NYUAD will allow her to deepen the connection between painting, visual storytelling, and psychosocial research, using her work not only to tell stories but also to create space for the complexities of emotional and social realities. She envisions her graduate years as a time to grow her presence in the Emirati art scene, expand her archival and art historical research, and weave these paths together into a cohesive practice. Yahia hopes to become an educator and potentially pursue a PhD in artistic practice after her MFA degree.
Returning to Abu Dhabi also brings Yahia personal joys. She looks forward to the campus’s infectious spirit of curiosity and the constant urge to learn, which she says pushes her to work harder. She also missed the city’s vibrant food scene, where cuisines from around the world thrive side by side. And then there’s basketball — Yahia once played on the University’s team and is eager to return to the court with her new Falcons teammates.
