Halla Ayla is an Iraqi American artist currently living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Before her move to the US, Ms. Ayla lived between Iraq, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia as well as in various cities in Europe.
Halla has been a photographic mixed media artist for over 30 years. She combines photography with painting and collage to create unique mixed media works of art.
In 2002 she began work on a series of exhibitions called The Arab World Unveiled that focus on the Arab world and aim to reveal the unique beauty and richness of the Arab culture and its people. By presenting an alternative visual perspective , Halla hopes to alter limited perceptions about the region. Her desire is to create bridges of empathy and understanding between East and West.
The fourth exhibition entitled Women Who Bear, focused on India and on the beauty and dignity of the women in rural India that are carrying more than their fare share on their heads.
Her current mixed media collaged work focuses on the Tribal regions of Africa and Oceania, with a solo exhibition planned for 2020 entitled Honoring the Ancestors.
Halla’s work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in art galleries and museums in the US and around the world as well as in private collections. Her works are on permanent display in the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
She has been invited to speak to a variety of audiences about the Arab world, deflecting the damaging stereotypes that prevail about the region. She gave the keynote address at a Red Cross Annual Meeting where she spoke about the historic legacy of the Arabs and its impact on today’s world.