Ella-Leila Sghaier Dessemond is a Brooklyn based artist who grew up believing in the evil eye. She’s always done shielding rituals, such as holding on to magical objects and mantras. She wanted to create her own talisman, knowing that repetition and consistency is what gives power to these protective devices, it became the core of her process. Her work therefore involves patterns, printing, and sequences, all in order to form the necessary echo, turning her pieces into said talismans. 

This interest kickstarted her research in motifs, icons, and mythologies, specifically the ones that speak of spiritual guides and guardians. She became fascinated by the universality of pattern as a language and the overlapping meanings of certain symbols across cultures, showing that human nature gives us a narrative intuition that we all share. She wants to create a language that triggers that intuition. 

She then uses this research to create pattern-heavy backgrounds and foregrounds for the bird to camouflage. The disappearance and reappearance of the icon gives it a mythological presence, forming a dialogue with the viewer. The use of grid paper was initially a tool for creating these intricate patterns, but conceptually became a plane in between heaven and earth, constructing a connection, a weave, a knot, in order to perceive the divine. She has found many ways to make her own grid; machine sewing, weaving in handmade paper, screen printing to give it a more human touch. Mistakes become a part of the process, but when inconsistencies drown in the amalgamation of motifs she lets go.

IG: @ella_and_art