Our story
Mashi is the word Egyptians say when we're ready to move forward: with lightness, with acceptance, or simply with the momentum of life. Mashi, yalla. Okay, let's go.
Why Mashi Exists
Growing up between two worlds, SWANA culture was either invisible in American spaces or reduced to something ancient, exotic, or defined by struggle.
Mashi exists to challenge that. Every piece is an act of tenderness toward living traditions, ordinary sacred things, and an identity that is complex and joyful and worth hanging on your wall.
The work is rooted in Islamic geometric art and Egyptian visual culture, rendered in a contemporary illustration style that honors the classics, inspired by the architects and artists who gave Egypt its visual language.
Art rooted in living traditions
The Everyday Things That Don't Get Called Beautiful
I'm Aisha, an Egyptian-American artist based in San Francisco. I make illustrations that look closely at Egyptian culture, Islamic art, and the moments hiding in plain sight.
The garlic and onions always in the kitchen. The musaharati walking through the neighborhood before fajr. The patterns pressed into a mashrabiya window. The essential food carts selling warm goodies and cold refreshers. The plastic chair at the base of every building, inviting conversation and a short break.
These are the images that live in me, and Mashi is where I give them a home.
Art With Intention
A portion of proceeds from select collections supports organizations doing meaningful work in our communities.
Currently, 100% of profits from the Ramadan collection benefit Yalla Kafala — an organization working to transform the kafala system and care for children in Egypt who need families.
Mashi, yalla.