About the artist
Sumayya Vally, is the founder and director of Counterspace, a practice renowned for its innovative design, research and educational activities. She is the youngest architect to have designed the Serpentine Pavilion. In 2022, Vally was recognised as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and included in the TIME100 Next list, highlighting her potential to reshape the practice and theory of architecture. She was also Artistic Director of the first Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah in 2023, where she played a key role in the contemporary redefinition of Islamic art.

About Counterspace
Counterspace is an architectural practice dedicated to articulating expressions of hybrid identities and spaces, with a focus on African and Islamic conditions that are both indigenous and diasporic. The practice is lauded for its innovative design, research, and educational pursuits. Led by Sumayya Vally, its unique design methodology is forensic in nature, leveraging the oral, aural, ritual, and often overlooked elements as fertile grounds for historical exploration and creative output.

In 2019, Vally was selected to design the 20th Serpentine Pavilion in London, making her the youngest architect to work on the commission. The pavilion opened to critical acclaim as being one of the most radical pavilion designs to shape the commission. Her collaboration with the Serpentine extended to the creation of the Support Structures for Support Structures fellowship program, aimed at empowering artists and collectives working at the intersection of the arts, social justice and ecology. In addition to her architectural achievements, Vally’s role as the Artistic Director of the inaugural Islamic Arts Biennale (January – May 2023) in Jeddah marked a pivotal moment in reimagining the definition of Islamic art.