{"id":28543,"date":"2025-10-11T09:20:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-11T09:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/?p=28543"},"modified":"2025-10-12T01:44:34","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T01:44:34","slug":"amal-karim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/2025\/10\/11\/amal-karim\/","title":{"rendered":"Amal Karim"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"28543\" class=\"elementor elementor-28543\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7d9e8e8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7d9e8e8\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3aab816 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3aab816\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.21.0 - 22-05-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\tYear of birth: 1995<br>\nWhere do you live: Currently in Buenos Aires<br>\nYour education: Degree in Graphic Design and Communication, Illustrator<br>\nDescribe your art in three words: Colorful \u00b7 Complex \u00b7 Magical<br>\nYour discipline: Digital illustration<br>\n<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amalnurkarim.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Website<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/aminurkari\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram<\/a><\/strong>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-12ad8b5 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"12ad8b5\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e35790a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e35790a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-28566 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Amal-Pic.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1050\" height=\"1324\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Amal-Pic.png 1050w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Amal-Pic-238x300.png 238w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Amal-Pic-812x1024.png 812w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Amal-Pic-768x968.png 768w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Amal-Pic-600x757.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1050px) 100vw, 1050px\" \/><\/h4><h4 style=\"font-weight: 400\">Your project Women of Empires beautifully combines cultural diversity and strong symbolism. What inspired you to create this series?<\/h4><p style=\"font-weight: 400\">Women of Empires was born from a desire to explore identity as something fluid, layered, and ever-evolving. By using my own face as the foundation of each portrait, I wanted to reflect how one self can contain multitudes \u2014 cultures, stories, beliefs, and ancestral echoes that transcend time. Traveling, learning different languages, and witnessing diverse traditions deeply influenced me. This series became a way to honor that richness and to question how identity is shaped by the empires \u2014 visible and invisible \u2014 that have built us.<\/p><h4 style=\"font-weight: 400\">Each character in your work has a distinct personality, yet they share a common structure. How did you approach balancing individuality with unity across the series?<\/h4><p style=\"font-weight: 400\">The shared facial structure is intentional \u2014 it\u2019s a visual metaphor for the shared humanity that underlies all differences. From that common ground, I build individuality through symbolic layers: colors, textures, ornaments, rituals. It\u2019s a dialogue between sameness and uniqueness, between the universal and the particular. In a way, every portrait is a facet of the same self, but shaped by a different cultural and emotional landscape.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: center\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-28564 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Shiva.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1050\" height=\"1048\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Shiva.png 1050w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Shiva-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Shiva-1024x1022.png 1024w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Shiva-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Shiva-768x767.png 768w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Shiva-650x650.png 650w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Shiva-600x599.png 600w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Shiva-100x100.png 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1050px) 100vw, 1050px\" \/> Amal Karim | Shiva<\/p><h4 style=\"font-weight: 400\">You mentioned that your art reflects a mixture of textures, histories, and cultures. How do you decide which visual elements to merge together?<\/h4><p style=\"font-weight: 400\">The process is both intuitive and research-driven. I begin by studying historical references, spiritual practices, or natural motifs from a specific culture. Then I allow them to blend organically with my own personal symbols and contemporary aesthetics. It\u2019s not about recreating a culture faithfully, but about weaving together traces of memory, resonance, and meaning \u2014 creating new narratives from fragments of many.<\/p><h4 style=\"font-weight: 400\">What role does color play in your creative process, and how do you use it to emphasize emotions or cultural nuances?<\/h4><p style=\"font-weight: 400\">Color is the heartbeat of my work. It speaks before form does. I use it as an emotional compass \u2014 to express power, vulnerability, divinity, or resistance. At the same time, color carries cultural memory: certain palettes are tied to rituals, empires, and spiritual practices. Through color, I try to create atmospheres that evoke both the emotional tone of the character and the cultural echoes they embody.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: center\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-28565 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Spring.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1050\" height=\"1048\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Spring.png 1050w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Spring-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Spring-1024x1022.png 1024w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Spring-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Spring-768x767.png 768w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Spring-650x650.png 650w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Spring-600x599.png 600w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Spring-100x100.png 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1050px) 100vw, 1050px\" \/> Amal Karim | Spring<\/p><h4 style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some of your illustrations reveal anatomy or spiritual references. What meaning do you intend to convey through these layered details?<\/h4><p style=\"font-weight: 400\">The anatomical or spiritual elements are metaphors for what lies beneath the surface. They speak of inner worlds \u2014 emotions, memories, ancestral forces \u2014 that shape our external identities. By revealing them, I suggest that identity is not just what is visible, but also what pulses beneath: the roots, the wounds, the sacred. It\u2019s an invitation to look beyond appearances and contemplate the invisible layers that make us who we are.<\/p><h4 style=\"font-weight: 400\">How do you think contemporary digital illustration can contribute to conversations about identity and cultural heritage?<\/h4><p style=\"font-weight: 400\">Digital illustration allows us to bridge past and present in powerful ways. It\u2019s a medium where ancestral stories can be reimagined and reinterpreted with contemporary language. I believe it can challenge stereotypes, reclaim narratives, and celebrate cultural hybridity. Through digital art, we can create spaces where heritage is not static but alive \u2014 evolving and expanding with each new perspective.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-28567 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Anatomy.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1050\" height=\"1050\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Anatomy.png 1050w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Anatomy-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Anatomy-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Anatomy-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Anatomy-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Anatomy-650x650.png 650w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Anatomy-600x600.png 600w, https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Amal-Karim-Anatomy-100x100.png 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1050px) 100vw, 1050px\" \/> Amal Karim | Anatomy<\/p><h4 style=\"font-weight: 400\">Working as both a corporate designer and a freelance illustrator, how do you navigate between commercial demands and personal creative freedom?<\/h4><p style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s a constant balancing act. My work as a designer sharpens my discipline and teaches me how to communicate clearly, while illustration gives me the space to explore deeper questions and personal visions. One side grounds me, the other liberates me. I think they feed each other \u2014 my commercial work benefits from the soulfulness of my art, and my art gains structure from the clarity of design thinking.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Year of birth: 1995 Where do you live: Currently in Buenos Aires Your education: Degree in Graphic Design and Communication, Illustrator Describe your art in three words: Colorful \u00b7 Complex \u00b7 Magical Your discipline: Digital illustration Website | Instagram Your project Women of Empires beautifully combines cultural diversity and strong symbolism. What inspired you to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28543"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28543\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28835,"href":"https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28543\/revisions\/28835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visualartjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}