Rayan Elnayal is a Sudanese-British artist/designer based in London. She uses the skills she obtained from her architecture background to visualise and speculate on fictional spaces. She is interested in how magic realist techniques can aid in the production of ethnocentric futurisms in Sudan, the SWANA region and its diaspora.
Her work is heavily influenced by the novel ‘Season of Migration to the North’ by Tayeb Salih and the works of Ibrahim El Salahi. Her interest in magic realism and the idea of ‘Afrabia’ initially started as part of her architecture thesis project at the University of Greenwich and remains an ongoing project. Since graduating Elnayal’s work has been featured in several publications and two solo exhibitions in Central London. Rayan has also acted as a guest critic and guest speaker in topics relevant to architectural design, digital art, and diversity.
